Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 67 of 100 1 2 65 66 67 68 69 99 100
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
J
veteran
OP Offline
veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
pecksniffian

PRONUNCIATION:(pek-SNIF-ee-uhn)
MEANING:
adjective: Pretending to have high moral principles; sanctimonious, hypocritical.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Seth Pecksniff, a character in Charles Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzlewit. Earliest documented use: 1844
-------------------------------------------------------
sniff a S
SPECKSNIFFIAN - a mother-in-law on her first visit to her daughter-in-law's house.

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
wonderful! may be a touphie, but you did it.


----please, draw me a sheep----
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
techsniffian computer geek fixing errors


----please, draw me a sheep----
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 963
necksniffian – highly effective perfume.

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1

PEEKSNIFFIAN - that'd be your K-9 Corps bomb-searching squad in action, dog and man together...

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1

SMELLFUNGUS

PRONUNCIATION:
(smel-FUNG-uhs)

MEANING:
noun: A habitual faultfinder or complainer.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Smelfungus, a hypercritical character in Laurence Sterne's 1768 novel, A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy. Earliest documented use: 1807.

NOTES:
Novelist Laurence Sterne modeled his character Smelfungus after traveler and author Tobias Smollett who complained about almost everything in his 1766 travel book Travels through France and Italy. Here's how Sterne describes Smelfungus:
"The learned Smelfungus travelled from Boulogne to Paris, from Paris to Rome, and so on; but he set out with the spleen and jaundice, and every object he pass'd by was discoloured or distorted. He wrote an account of them, but 'twas nothing but the account of his miserable feelings."

USAGE:
"And a couple of smellfungus from the Official Paper ... carped that Issel chose to jump when the schedule reached its toughest stretch."
Woody Paige; Issel is the Wrong Scapegoat in Nuggets' Mess; Denver Post; Feb 13, 1995.

-----------------------------------------

SWELLFUNGUS - growing bigger truffles


Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1

FALSTAFFIAN

PRONUNCIATION:
(fal-STAF-ee-uhn)

MEANING:
adjective: Fat, jolly, and convivial.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Sir John Falstaff, a character in Shakespeare's plays Henry IV (parts 1 & 2) and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Earliest documented use: 1809.

USAGE:
"His hair was long and scruffy, his ties ludicrous and his manner jovial bordering on Falstaffian; a board meeting, for him, was a debate, punctuated by gales of his maniacal laughter."
John Harvey-Jones; The Economist (London, UK); Jan 17, 2008.


-----------------------------------------

FALLSTAFFIAN

happily hiring extra help to rake up the leaves

(don't you just pine for a backyard full of evergreens)

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,915
Likes: 2
HALSTAFFIAN high school hall monitors with machine guns.


----please, draw me a sheep----
wofahulicodoc #213046 10/30/13 03:48 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
J
veteran
OP Offline
veteran
J
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554

[ L -> U ]

FAUSTAFFIAN - a friend of a friend of the devil.

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,502
Likes: 1

...That'd be "a friend of a friend of a fiend"?

Page 67 of 100 1 2 65 66 67 68 69 99 100

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,271
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
1 members (A C Bowden), 285 guests, and 4 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,502
LukeJavan8 9,915
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5