There’s something to be said for learning arcane words and phrases. It’s not like we’re ever going to use any of these in Web copy (at least not today), but examining these words, trying to guess at the etymology and decipher the roots of them is always fun. It also gives us a chance to learn synonyms which are always good to know when writing copy. His article from Huffington Post really made my Sunday. Enjoy!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/13/the-horologicon-mark-forsyth_n_4413100.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

If you’re looking to boost your Scrabble game or make your friends feel like blunkerkins, you might want to check out The Horologicon, language- obsessed blogger Mark Forsyth’s witty compendium of words long forgotten by most speakers of English.

1. Snollygoster
noun [snol·ee·gos·ter]
A shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician.

2. Grinnow
noun [gri·noh]
A stain that doesn’t come out in the wash.

3. Ultracrepidarianism
noun [uhl·truh·krep·i·dair·ee·uhn·ism]
Giving opinions on subjects you know nothing about.

4. Chasmophile
noun [kas·muh-fahyl]
Lover of nooks and crannies.

5. Guttle
verb [guht·l]
To eat greedily.

6. Uhtceare
noun [oot·key·are·a]
Lying awake before dawn and worrying.

7. Mumbudget
noun [muhm·buhj·it]
Keeping quiet.