I’ve been thinking about words that appear to be rude, but
aren’t. Words you can use with impunity in front of your Great Aunt Bertha,
knowing full well that, when she fans herself and reaches for the
smelling-salts, you’ll be ready with the perfectly innocent definitions culled
from A.Word.A.Day.com. For your convenience, I replicate them here:
Crapulous
adjective: Sick from excessive drinking or
eating.
From Latin crapula (drunkenness), from Greek kraipale (hangover,
drunkenness). Earliest documented use: 1540. Also crapulent.
Modern
Usage: (Mother): All right, Timmy, go ahead and have another slice of cake; but
don’t blame me if it makes you crapulous!
Bonus: We
learn the Greek for a hangover: Kraipale.
You never know when it may come in handy.
Pricket
noun:
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1. A sharp point or spike for holding a candle.
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2. A male deer in its second year, before the
antlers have branched.
|
Diminutive of prick/prik, from Old English prica (point). Earliest
documented use: 1331.
Mod Use: “This pricket’s way too small – the candle
keeps falling off!”
Fard
noun:
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Makeup
|
|
verb tr.:
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1. To apply makeup.
|
|
2. To embellish or gloss over.
|
From Old French fard (makeup), from farden (to apply makeup), of Germanic
origin. Earliest documented use: 1450.
Modern usage: “Will you please stop farding in the
bathroom and come for breakfast?”
Cunctation - noun: Delay;
procrastination; tardiness.
From Latin cunctari (to hesitate, delay). Earliest documented use: 1585.
Modern Usage: “Even as a baby he was given to
cunctation: he’d wake me up at 2AM, but not to nurse; he’d just yawn three
times and go back to sleep.”
Cock up – noun: Something
going horribly wrong, e.g. this definition, which the computer stoutly refused
to provide. Instead, I was treated to those infuriating whirling circles –
definitely a cock up. And I can provide no “earliest documented use”, either.
Now, about those two bonus words I promised you. Here they
are:
Bonus Word #1: verb: formicate, To swarm like ants.
Modern usage: At
graduation, visitors beheld the campus covered with formicating students.
Bonus Word #2: absquatulate:
verb: to make off with something.
Modern usage: “I say, that bounder just absquatulated
with my cricket pads!”
Enjoy introducing your friends to these words – but don’t be
surprised if you get a few strange looks along the way!
