Sometimes new words can be a lot of fun. This glossary contains three types of fun words: words that are unusually specific and therefore perfect for certain situations, like specious (seeming good or sound at first but lacking real merit) and apolaustic (wholly devoted to the seeking of enjoyment); words that are simply fun to say, like absquatulate (flee, make off; abscond) and quidnunc (a busybody or a gossip); and, my favorite, words for things you never knew there were words for, like omphalopsychite (one who contemplates his navel) and nothosonomia (the act of calling someone a bastard).

absquatulate flee, make off; abscond. agelast one who never laughs. aglet the plastic tip on the end of a shoelace. agrestic characteristic of the country, rustic; also, unpolished or uncouth. akimbo of the arms, with the hands on the hips and elbows bent outward. "He stood akimbo and surveyed the wreckage." anadromous of fish, migrating up rivers from the sea to spawn in fresh water. anile like a doddering, foolish old woman. anserine goose-like; also, silly, foolish, or stupid. anthropophagy cannibalism. apolaustic wholly devoted to the seeking of enjoyment. arcadian idyllically pastoral, simple, or untroubled. avuncular of or pertaining to an uncle; also, uncle-like. barratry the offense of frequently stirring up lawsuits or quarrels; also, in maritime law, fraud or gross criminal negligence by a captain or crew at the expense of a ship's owner or of the owner of a ship's cargo. bastinado torture by beating on the soles of the feet. bezonian a scoundrel. bibcock a faucet that is bent downward bibliobibuli those who read too much. biffy a toilet or outhouse. bodewash dried buffalo dung, used as fuel for fire. boeotian stupid, dull, obtuse; also, such a person. bolus a large medicinal pill; also, a mass of chewed food. boondoggle an unnecessary activity or wasteful expenditure. borborygmic pertaining to the rumbling of one's stomach or intestines. bosky having an abundance of trees or shrubbery. brobdingnagian enormous, immense. brummagem cheap and showy but inferior and worthless. buccal of or pertaining to the cheek or the mouth. bugaboo something that causes baseless fear or worry; also, a false belief used to intimidate. bumf toilet paper; also, worthless paperwork, literature, or junk mail. callipygian having shapely buttocks. See also: steatopygic . captious apt to raise objections to trivial faults or defects; given to fault-finding; difficult to please. caryatid a draped female figure supporting an entablature. caseifaction the act of turning into cheese. cataglottism kissing with the tongue. cerumen earwax. chatoyant changing in luster or color, as cat's eyes. chiaroscuro distribution of light and shade in a picture chthonic dwelling in the underworld. cicisbeo a male escort or lover of a married woman. collation a light meal. contumelious insolently abusive and humiliating. corrigendum a mistake to be corrected, especially an error in a printed book. corybantic frenzied or agitated. crapulous given to, characterized by, or suffering from gross excess in eating and drinking. cynosure a center of attraction or admiration. dandle to dance (a child) on one's knees; the action taken by a dandler. deasil clockwise. See also: widdershins . defenestrate to throw out of a window dendrochronology the study of growth rings on trees. dipsomania uncontrollable craving for alcohol. discalced barefooted. doddle something easy or requiring little effort. donnybrook a brawl or heated public dispute. dottle the plug of unburned tobacco left in a pipe after smoking. draggle make wet and dirty by dragging on the ground. duff decaying matter in a forest ecdysiast stripper. edacious devouring, consuming, voracious. eesome pleasing to the eye. emollient characteristic of that which softens or soothes the skin. enantiodromic characteristic of something that has become its opposite. energumen one who is possessed by a demonic entity. epeolatry worship of words. epigone an undistinguished imitator or descendant of an illustrious person or family. eructation belching; also, discharge of a volcano. esprit d'escalier a remark that occurs to someone later, after it should have been said (often a witty retort that occurs after the moment to use it has passed). estivate to spend the summer. esurient hungry. evancalous pleasant to embrace. expiscate to learn through laborious investigation. exsanguinate to drain blood from. factotum employee or assistant who does just about everything. fantods a state of nervous irritability; the fidgets; the willies. "Waiting for this semester's report card is giving me the fantods." fernticle freckle. fescue a small stick used to point out letters to a child learning to read. flews the pendulous corners of the upper lip of certain dogs, such as the bloodhound. floccinaucinihilipilification the categorizing of something as worthless. flummery meaningless chatter; also, deceptive language. footle to talk or act foolishly; to waste time. foudroyant dazzling, flashing; also, thunderous, noisy. friable easily crumbled; crumbly. frisson an emotional thrill; a shudder of emotion. frowzy ill-smelling, musty; also, slovenly, unkempt. fugacious fleeting, transitory; difficult to capture. funambulist a tightrope walker gallimaufry jumble or medley; hodgepodge. geck a dupe. genuflect bend the knee and lower the body, especially in reverence. gleek to joke or jest. gobbledygook windy gibberish or jargon. gorbellied corpulent. gormless dull, stupid, clumsy. gound the gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes during sleep. gowpen two hands placed together to form a bowl-shape; also, the amount that can be contained in a pair of cupped hands. graustark an imaginary place of high romance. grimthorpe remodel or restore an old building without proper grounding or knowledge of its authentic character or without exercising care to remain faithful to its original quality and uniqueness; after Baron Grimthorpe, English lawyer and architect, restorer of St. Alban's cathedral. hallux big toe. hangdog shamefaced, browbeaten, or intimidated. hebdomadal weekly. hircine goat-like; also, lustful. hirple to hobble or walk lamely. hornswoggle bamboozle, deceive. hoyden a boisterous, carefree girl; a tomboy. infucate to apply cosmetics. inglenook a nook by a fireplace. insouciant blithely unconcerned. insufflate to blow on or breathe into. izzat honor, prestige, reputation. jillick to skip a stone across water. jocoserious combining serious and humorous matters. jugulate to slit the throat. kalopsia the delusion that things are more beautiful than they really are. katzenjammer a loud, discordant noise; also, a hangover; also, a state of depression or bewilderment. kibitz to look on and offer unsolicited, meddlesome advice; to make wisecracks when others are trying to work or speak seriously. kickshaw a trinket or bauble; a culinary delicacy. lambent softly radiant; of a light or flame, playing on a surface without burning it; also, dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject of discussion. lapidate to stone to death. latrinalia graffiti found in restrooms. legerdemain slight of hand; magic tricks. liripipe a long scarf or cord attached to and hanging from a hood. ludic characterized by playfulness. macerate to make or become soft by steeping in a liquid; also, to waste away by fasting. madefy moisten. maffick to rejoice with an extravagant and boisterous public celebration. malinger pretend to be ill in order to avoid work or shirk duty. marmoreal resembling marble. mawkish excessively or feebly sentimental; also, having a faint, sickly taste. meldrop a drop of mucus at the end of the nose. mendacious telling lies, especially habitually; untruthful. miasma a noxious atmosphere or influence; unpleasant or unwholesome air. misprision neglect or wrongful action committed by a public official. moiety about half of something. monomania obsession with one idea or interest. moonglade the bright reflection of the moon on a body of water. mordant bitingly sarcastic. mosh to engage in uninhibited, frenzied activities with others near the stage at a rock concert. See also: mosh pit . mosh pit the place near the stage at a rock concert where moshing occurs. See also: mosh . mulct to take money from, by taxation or by trickery. mundungus stinky tobacco. myrmidon an unscrupulously faithful follower; henchman. napiform resembling a turnip. neologist one who makes up new words. nidify to build a nest. noctambulist a sleepwalker; somnambulist. nosocomephrenia depression due to a prolonged hospital stay. nothosonomia the act of calling someone a bastard. nudiustertian pertaining to the day before yesterday. nyctalopia night blindness. obdormition numbness caused by pressure on a nerve, as when one's foot is "asleep." obnubilate cloud over, darken, or obscure. ochlocracy mob rule. octothorpe the '#' symbol; also, "octothorp." omphalopsychite one who contemplates his navel. See also: omphaloskepsis . omphaloskepsis contemplation of one's navel. See also: omphalopsychite . opsimath one who begins to learn late in life. ort a scrap of food left after a meal is completed. osculate kiss. ovoviviparous producing eggs that hatch within the female's body without obtaining nourishment from it. oxter armpit. pandiculation the stretching that accompanies yawning. panjandrum a pompous official or pretender; also, the mock title of a self-important person. pantaloon a man's close-fitting garment for the hips and legs, worn especially in the 19th century pate top of the head, usually a bald head. penny-farthing an old-fashioned kind of bicycle with a huge front wheel. penultimate next to last. perendinate to put off until the day after tomorrow; also, to keep postponing from day to day. peripatetic going from place to place; itinerant. philtrum the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip. picaresque of fiction, dealing with the adventures of a rogue. pilose covered with hair. pilpul a nitpicking, unproductive argument. pinguid fat; also, greasy. placebo a harmless substance given as medicine, usually to humor a patient. poetaster an inferior poet. popinjay a talkative and conceited person. popliteal of or pertaining to the back of the knee. preponderate to surpass others in numbers, intensity, force, or prowess. prescind turn aside. psithurism a low whispering sound, such as the rustle of leaves. puckeroo useless, broken. pulchritude attractiveness. purulent containing, consisting of, or discharging pus. pusillanimous timid, faint-hearted, or cowardly. quidnunc a busybody or a gossip. quincunx the pattern of five objects arranged such that four of the five objects form a square, while the fifth is positioned in the middle. "The dots on the '5' side of a die are arranged in a quincunx." quisquilious like rubbish; trashy, worthless. raconteur one skilled in telling stories. rebarbative causing aversion or irritation. recension an editorial revision of a literary work. recidivist one who continually commits crime and seems incurable of criminal tendencies. recrudesce of a disease, sore, or hostile feeling, to break out again. renitent resistant to pressure. retroussé turned up at the tip, especially a nose. rhabdomantist one who practices divination by means of a rod to locate underground water; a dowser. riant smiling. sanguinary bloodthirsty; murderous. sanguine cheerfully confident or optimistic; also, having a healthy, reddish color. saturnine characteristic of a person having a gloomy or forbidding appearance. scuttlebutt gossip. seersucker a light, thin fabric, such as cotton or rayon, with a crinkled surface and a usually striped pattern. serendipity the faculty of accidentally making happy, unexpected discoveries. sericate silky. simous having a very flat or snub nose, with the end turned up. skosh a small amount; a tad. smithereens fragments or splintered pieces. snollygoster a shrewd, unprincipled person. sockdolager a conclusive blow or remark; also, something outstanding. somnambulist a sleepwalker; noctambulist. spanghew to cause a frog or toad to fly up in the air. spartle to move the body or limbs in a sprawling or struggling manner. specious seeming good or sound at first but lacking real merit. squabash to crush with criticism. squidger the huge disc, or wink, used to propel other winks in the game of Tiddly-Winks. squiffed intoxicated. steatopygic having fat buttocks. See also: callipygian . sternutation the act of sneezing; also, a sneeze. stymie to thwart, stump, or obstruct. subderisorious ridiculing in moderation. subfusc drab, dusty. suppurate to form pus; to fester. susurration whispering, murmuring, or rustling. sycophant one who attempts to gain a personal advantage by servile flattery. tantalolagnia arousal caused by teasing. tantivy a headlong dash or rapid gallop; also, characteristic of one in a tantivy; also, the blare of a trumpet or horn. "The man was running tantivy after the thief." tauromachy the art of bullfighting. tenebrific producing darkness; obscuring. tergiversate to turn one's back on one's party or cause; also, to make evasive statements or equivocate. termagant a shrewish, bullying woman. thewy muscled, brawny. tintinnabulous of or relating to bells or the ringing of bells. tizzy a state of nervous excitement or confusion; a dither. tohubohu a state of chaos, disorder, and confusion. tonsure the shaving of the head of those entering certain priesthoods or monastic orders; also, the part of the head left bare after such a shaving. tragus the little flap of cartilage that projects over the hole in one's ear. trollop a promiscuous woman. twee affectedly cute or quaint; overly precious or nice. ultra-crepidarian giving opinions or criticism beyond one's own range of experience. ululate lament loudly and shrilly; wail. umbrage the feeling of being offended. undulate sway in place. uvula the thing that hangs down in the back of one's throat. vermiculate having wavy, wormlike lines or motion; sinuous, tortuous. vexillologist one who studies flags. vicarious characteristic of feelings or emotions felt or shared imaginatively through the feelings or emotions of another person. vicissitude a change of circumstances affecting one's life. walla-walla the unintelligible sound made by many people talking at once. welter wriggle, writhe. whelm to cover or engulf completely, usually with disastrous effect. whinge complain fretfully, whine. widdershins counterclockwise; also, in a contrary direction. Same as "withershins." See also: deasil . withershins See: widdershins .