Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

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

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
#225238 07/27/16 07:09 AM
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
A
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
A
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
About 20 years ago, I started collecting ‘colorful’ words. I realized that some words sound a bit funnier and
have a somewhat greater emotional impact than others.

Some examples: aghast, amok, begrudge, besmirch, bliss, bogus, chafe, coy, crave, cringe, dawdle, dote, dwindle, eke, feisty, ferret, fester, festoon, fickle, finagle, finicky, flabbergasted, flutter, foible, frazzled, frenzy, frolic, frumpy, garble, gawk, gibberish, glimmer, glitch, gloat, gruff, guffaw, hubbub, ilk, irk, lush, mayhem, mollify, mull, nab, ogle, paltry, pander, penchant, plight, plummet, posh, pummel, quibble, raucous, ravage, rebuff, rubble, scoff, scour, scrimp, scrounge, sham, shenanigans, sizzle, splurge, spree, squalid, squeamish, squelch, squirm, sully, surly, swath, throng, thug, thwart, trounce, trudge, woo, zeal.

Whenever I read or heard a colorful word, I added it to my list. By 2001 I had about 200 such words. But the
list was burned up on 9/11 because I worked in 7 World Trade Center, a building that came down in the afternoon.

So I continued to compile the list. As of now, I have almost 1190 words, all gems

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
I, too, collect words. Not as many as you, however. Getting to
use them is the trick.


WELCOME


----please, draw me a sheep----
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
A
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
A
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 2
I don't know the etiquette of this forum - is it possible trade emails?

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,510
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,510
Likes: 1

I'll offer you two more for your list of colorful words, on behalf of former Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz. They were his two favorite words, he said.

eleëmosynary - linguistic precursor of "alms"

and

phantasmagorical - a double-dactyl, if you're into such things...

Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,510
Likes: 1
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,510
Likes: 1

(P.S. Click on the flashing envelope.)

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
Akiva: as wofa said above - click on the flashing envelope at the top.


----please, draw me a sheep----
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,165
Likes: 4
A
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
A
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,165
Likes: 4
Some more good words:

altazimuth
angelology
buckminsterfullerene
cancrizans
clanjamfrie
mesembryanthemum
noumenon
oological
paraprosdokian
tintinnabulation
tmesis
umquhile
xenoglossy
zugzwang
Ftatateeta
Schiermonnikoog
Witwatersrand

Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,916
Likes: 2
there is a university in Witwatersrand


----please, draw me a sheep----
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,165
Likes: 4
A
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
A
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2,165
Likes: 4
Witwatersrand means "ridge of white waters" in Afrikaans, in reference to the waterfalls there.

Schiermonnikoog, an island off the coast of the Netherlands, means "Grey Monk Island".

Ftatateeta is a character in George Bernard Shaw's play Caesar and Cleopatra.


Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
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
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 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 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
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