Didactic and seminal, found in criticism of all kinds but never spoken in real life.
I’ve never hear anyone say the word sanguine either.
Oh, just the usual stuff - Promethean, cock, pusillanimous, fart
While not exactly common, I find didactic and seminal used often enough. For example, a band or artist’s “seminal album/work.” I’ll give you sanguine, though. That one I very very rarely come across in conversation. But I have heard it.
As far as words I’ve never spoken aloud, I think “za” may fit the bill, although I may have used it in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Pretty damned sure I’ve never said “irregardless,” although I accept it as a word.
“No thank you, I don’t want another drink.” Oh, I use all the words, I just never string them together.
Antiquing? pow
“Za” meaning pizza? That strikes me as one of those words which you see listed in newspaper items about new slang terms but which is not actually a word that people use, or at least has no real viability in the lexicon. “Rents” meaning parents is another one like that; it’s hard to believe very many people use “rents” that way.
I have never said aloud or typed out the common word for flatulence. I find it abhorrent.
“Rents” was common in my peer group in college circa 1993-1998. I don’t know whether I used it or not, but I certainly heard it used unironically with regularity. “Za” dates back a while, too. Etymonline.com has it from 1968. I’ve certainly heard it in the early-to-mid 90s, as well.
Nobody in real life is actually cheerful.
I remember first seeing “za” in 1980, in the Official Preppy Handbook. I think “rents” was there too but I don’t remember for sure.
Loaned. I was taught that the noun is ‘loan’ and the verb is ‘lend’.
And the distinction is maintained rigorously where I work.
“phlegm” is a word that I try my very best not to use. I find another way to get the meaning across. The word itself is physically upsetting to me and makes me gag. Bleah.
CLAMBERED! As in a version of “climbed.” Does anyone actually SAY that?
(Wow, am I glad that finally came to me. It was driving me nuts!)
I try to use as many words as possible, but just can’t bring myself to say “circumambulate”.
I never use the word stocky because I can’t wrap my head around what it means. A stocky person is a thick person, but whenever I hear the word I always imagine the stalk of a plant, which is the skinniest part of a plan, and so I imagine the word to mean “a very skinny person.”
Methinks. It makes me think of Oscar Wilde during a really weird night. And man, he must have had some really weird nights.
If I told you, that means I’d be using them.
Have you ever looked at the changing leaves in Autumn? They’re a cacophony of color, and pleasantly so, I think.
Darn. I ran across one of those words today and thought of this thread. Now that I am home and able to post, can I think of it? Of course not, I never use it.