# Post your favourite old fashioned unusual words... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 28, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588 "2004-02-28T05:58:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/1 "2004-02-28T05:58:27Z")
I used the word Jiggery-pokery the other day. My dad was surprised and said his dad used to use it. Another one - Kerfuffle (fuss) post your fave unusual words(s) Or don’t. 'sup to you. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/2 "2004-02-28T06:43:57Z")
“to redd up”, as in to tidy up I had an English teacher in high school who drilled us on vocabulary each Friday. I thought this was one I’d never see. But damn, a weak later I was re-reading Jane Eyre, and towards the end, after Rochester has been blinded and Jane combs his hair, she states “There, sir, you are all redd up and made decent.” I guess Mr. Eubanks knew what he was doing. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenchslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/94ad74/32.png) [@Wrenchslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenchslinger)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/3 "2004-02-28T07:11:39Z")
[merkin](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=merkin) ---
**Author:** ![Empress\_Jolrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Empress\_Jolrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Empress_Jolrael)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/4 "2004-02-28T07:57:47Z")
Lambaste. Lovely word. ---
**Author:** ![Innanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecd19e/32.png) [@Innanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Innanna)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/5 "2004-02-28T12:46:35Z")
Cockerjeetie–from my grandmother (who may have made it up). It means crooked, out of place, perhaps irrevocably so. “And I couldn’t get the car window to roll down because it was cockerjeetie.” ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/6 "2004-02-28T12:51:09Z")
Childer (children) Moider (fuss) Skriking (crying) ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/7 "2004-02-28T13:01:36Z")
[Gamahuche.](http://cgi.peak.org/~jeremy/retort.cgi?British=gamahuche) ---
**Author:** ![Winterwren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Winterwren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winterwren)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/8 "2004-02-28T15:29:04Z")
> [@Marlitharn](#): > > [Gamahuche.](http://cgi.peak.org/~jeremy/retort.cgi?British=gamahuche) (I am in a pre-coffee state, and am now hearing Queen singing “Gamahuche, Gamahuche – will you do the fandango?” This is a train of thought that must be taken out of service immediately.) As for me, the word that makes me happy is “thimble rigger”. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/9 "2004-02-28T15:31:54Z")
Brouhaha. (That’s the word on my screen-saver at work at the moment.) I’ll second “kerfuffle,” another wonderful word. Plethora. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/10 "2004-02-28T20:59:19Z")
I’ve always liked “curmudgeon,” but it seems that a lot of younger folks have never heard it. Because they don’t know the word, they have trouble grasping precisely what it is that I want to be when I grow up. ---
**Author:** ![chigger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@chigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chigger)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/11 "2004-02-28T21:23:00Z")
I learned ‘dreckly’ from my grandmother. The best I can figure, the word is an alteration in both pronunciation and meaning (eventually vs. immediately) of ‘directly’: “We called the fillin’ station and told 'em the car wouldn’t start. Well, we sit around there a good little bit and dreckly here they come out to the house and fixed it where it’d run.” ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/12 "2004-02-28T22:35:32Z")
From Texas: stupnagle (idiot) pshaw! (mild cuss) shoot! (annoyance) ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/13 "2004-02-28T22:45:42Z")
Davenport (couch) My grandma said that all the time and we used to think it was so funny. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/14 "2004-02-28T23:03:54Z")
I like lambaste as well. I’ll add “bloviate.” ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2004, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/15 "2004-02-28T23:47:28Z")
Guttersnipe: A person of the lowest class. Milksop: A man lacking courage and other qualities deemed manly. Tart: A woman considered to be sexually promiscuous. ---
**Author:** ![lt180ml](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lt180ml](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lt180ml)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/16 "2004-02-29T00:49:35Z")
Mazard. Also nonsense words that Scrooge would have used, including but not limited to: humbug balderdash etc. Hogwash is good, too. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/17 "2004-02-29T01:26:35Z")
“Huzzah!” ---
**Author:** ![CloudCar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@CloudCar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CloudCar)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/18 "2004-02-29T01:28:54Z")
My late uncle used to say “kittywumpus” for something that had gone awry usually referring to having put something together wrong. As in: “Move that rafter over to the left three inches or the whole house will be kittywumpus.” I once heard my grandmother referr to men who ride motorcycles as “crazy gallutes.” ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/19 "2004-02-29T01:46:17Z")
Thanks to Bill Bryson, I discovered “slubberdegullion” - a slovenly person. I also like “druthers” - as in "I’d rather . . . " but said “If I had my druthers…” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588/20 "2004-02-29T02:13:57Z")
_Nertz_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-your-favourite-old-fashioned-unusual-words/231588.md?page=2)