crepuscular (adj): 1. occurring or active during dusk 2. resembling or relating to twilight
1. “Bats are typically crepuscular, feeding on insects as the day evanesces.”
2. The abandoned warehouse was filled with a sickly, crepuscular light despite the bright afternoon outside.”
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louche (adj): not reputable or decent [rhymes with koosh, among other things]
“He associates with such louche ne’er-do-wells these days.”
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consanguineous (adj): of the same blood or origin
“We both enjoy music, smoking pipes and fine beer. You might call us consanguineous.”
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mul’tiparous (adj): Producing many or more than one at birth.
“Most human parents have one child at a time, but some couples seem destined to be multiparous.”
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dottle (n): The plug of tobacco ash remaining in the bottom of a pipe after smoking.
I bet you didn’t know there was a word for that.
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furuncle (n): A boil or inflammatory tumour.
“Neither furuncles nor carbuncles (groups of furuncles) are related to fur, carbs, or uncles.”
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truculent (adj): Characterized by or exhibiting ferocity or cruelty; fierce, cruel, savage, barbarous.
“Despite his reputation as a truculent disciplinarian, the school principal was very personable.”
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hamose (adj): Having hooks, hooked.
“There are two sides to velcro, the tortuous and the hamose.”
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pone (n): U.S. regional (chiefly south. and south Midland). Any unleavened bread or dough-like cake made usually with maize.
“Get you a little pone of cornbread to go with them black eyed peas and collards, now.”
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clapperdudgeon (n): A cant name for a beggar born; also used as a term of reproach or insult.
“Your Amway friend is a clapperdudgeon in a suit.”
cant (n): The speech or phraseology of beggars, etc.; The secret language or jargon used by gipsies, thieves, professional beggars, etc.; transf. any jargon used for the purpose of secrecy.
“Vacationing in Germany, they held their private conversations in their native Southern American dialect as a cant against prying ears.”
cleyme (n): Sores without Pain raised on Beggers Bodies, by their own Artifice. (now obs.)
“The panhandler’s leg was covered with a number of cleymes, presumably induced by himself to generate pity.”
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nacreous (adj): Pearly or iridescent like nacre (mother-of-pearl).
“As she watched him leave for the last time, a single nacreous tear swept down her alabaster cheek.”
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blatherskite (n): A noisy talkative fellow; a talker of blatant nonsense.
“The gun show vendor was an unfortunate combination of blatherskite and narcissist, touting his ‘special forces’ experience in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq.”
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zeep (v): trans. To elicit a zipping sound from.
“The match head zeeped the box before it combusted.”
Editor’s note: This word falls in the realm of the truly bizarre. Why we need a word for this I can’t fathom; it’s one of the rare gems found in my travels through the dictionary. Things that could be zeeped: zippers, matchboxes, guiros, ???
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cloy (v): To surfeit with an excess usually of something originally pleasing. (Merriam-Webster)
“Her pet names and public displays of affection, once endearing, had now begun to cloy poor Richard.
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brickbat (n): A piece or fragment of a brick; properly[...] less than one half of its length. It is the typical ready missile, where stones are scarce. Also (v): to pelt with brickbats.
“He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a brickbat at her, where stones are scarce.”
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Calender (n): One of a mendicant order of dervishes in Turkey and Persia.
“‘Do Muslim monks whirl clockwise or counter-clockwise when they dance?’ ‘I don’t know; let me check my Calender.’”
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idoneous (adj): Apt, fit, or suitable.
“My impeccable credentials, unparalleled perspicacity and superlative ethos make me idoneous for this undertaking,” wrote Eric on his Burger King application.
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fescue (n): A small stick, pin, etc. used for pointing out the letters to children learning to read; a pointer.
“We quickly learned that Sister Mary Sitzimleben’s fescue could just as easily be used as an instrument of correction on our knuckles as on the board.”
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sinecure (n): 1.An ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls. 2.Any office or position which has no work or duties attached to it, esp. one which yields some stipend or emolument.
“Steward’s uncle promoted him to Chief Manager of Opportunities, which is essentially a five-hour-a-week sinecure with a six-figure salary and full benefits.”
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glabrous (adj): Free from hair, down, or the like; having a smooth skin or surface.
“Boy, Frank, your head’s looking more glabrous than ever!”
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glandiform (adj): Acorn-shaped.
“Due to his sloping chin and heavy brow, Mr. Oakes’ head was unfortunately glandiform in appearance.”
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parachronism (n): An error in chronology, esp. the placing of an event later than its real date.
“The modern dating scheme of the Gospels is rife with parachronisms, not least in placing Mark after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70″
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pactitious (adj): Characterized by being agreed upon or stipulated.
“We decided to make the division of household labor pactitious, rather than implicit or dictatorial.”
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muricide (n): An agent used to kill mice, rats, or other murids. A killer of mice; spec. a cat.
“I asked for muricide at the hardware store, but all they gave me was a blank look.”
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crapulous (adj): Suffering from the effects of intemperance in drinking; resulting from drunkenness.
“The wino stumbled down the alley after last call in a crapulous stupor.”
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somniloquist (n): one who speaks or talks while asleep.
“Fred, an accomplished somniloquist, can recite passages of Byron without ever waking up.”
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All definitions are taken from the Oxford English Dictionary unless otherwise noted.
