On Nancy Pearl's recommendation, I recently read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (you can see my review here), where I encountered some lovely language, including the word "hesternal" (pertaining to yesterday, according to the book's m.c., Fiona).
What old-fashioned words have caught your fancy? Not that you might ever work them into conversation, mind you, but if you can work at least one of them into a sentence, and submit it here, there'll be a prize for the best submission*!
(the judge's decision is highly subjective and final; no bribes accepted)
No one says "fortnight" anymore, but I always enjoyed it while reading the Anne of Green Gables books. For example:
ReplyDelete"My husband and I just booked a fabulous fortnight in Benelux and France."
(Can't wait for this September fortnight!)
Today's favorites: persnickety, ugglesome, and snide. Hmm, sounds like a law firm
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite words is "bosky," which according to the OED means:
ReplyDeleteConsisting of or covered with bushes or underwood; full of thickets, bushy.
To me it sounds deliciously like its meaning!
My personal favorite author for obscure vocabulary enhancement combined with sheer entertainment value is Reginald Hill, author of the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries set in Yorkshire.
I do not know this series of mysteries but am going to go check them out, as soon as I get out of the bosky with the revisions I'm doing! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI keep checking on this to see what fun words people come up with! I have to share that juiciest words in my life lately, are made-up words from the mouth of my 6 year old daughter. My favorites: "Enterical" and "Exquivative." I think I've got myself a future Shakespeare on my hands!
ReplyDeleteWe've got to come up with a meaning for exquivative. What a word!
ReplyDeleteGet that girl a notebook!