misotyrannist: one who hates tryranny Interesting first entry but apposite.
cosmopoietic/demiurgic: creating your own world: Good retirement words.
stike: to annoy another for one's own amusement: Can lead to interpersonal friction. Best used on brothers.
Sesquipedalia verba and ribaldry share synchronicity - such fun!
Charles Harrington Elster(CHE)'s book: "There's a Word For It"(TAWFI) is a must for sesquipedalians. It's still available at Amazon. Selections from TAWFI are indicated by (p.number).
The Phrontistery website is a fantastic resource for word lists...also a must for the sesquipedalian crowd. Selections from The Phrontistery wordlists are indicated by (P).
The founder of the Phrontistery, Stephen Chrisomalis, sifted through many elite dictionaries and gleaned every sesquipedalian and unusual word that met his criteria and listed them in his "Dictionary of Unusual Words". He offers them free to the cyberworld; the only rule is that when using his lists, give credit where credit is due. I haven't found a better deal than that, nor a more comprehensive list. It's the first place I look to shop for new material for logovores who might stop in to this site for a quick verbal snack.
A rule: Neither preciosity(over refinement) nor grammaticasting(too picky about grammar) are abided.
A law: If something can go right, it might (Lovell's Law)
Orthography(correct spelling) is championed.
Sesquipedalianism is idiopathic (a cause unto itself) as well as ancient.
A sesquipedalian should eschew floccinaucinihilipilification (categorizing as trivial or worthless) for obvious reasons.
Lexiphanicism (showing off with words) is countenanced.
The Sesquipedalian Society emerged in its current form in 1985 during a fit of logogoguery(being 'agogue' over words) by the Founder *. Under a Pickwickian spell of merriment, an afflatus penetrated through the ether upon first encounter with the word "sesquipedalia". Another Dickensian influence was the loquacious Mr. Micawber and his epic struggles with impecunity.
* The use of the term Founder refers to the founder of the sesquipedaliansociety.com.
The Sesquipedalian Society in this demiurge is a panjandrum title in tribute to the glisk that discovering and using a gratifying new word can bring...it's addictive to a logophile.
The Founder of this site is such a one. The Sesquipedalian Society at-large preexists the founding...just think of the caveman who superseded "club" with "cudgel". Thus, when that famous Greek (according to MacMillan Dictionary it was the Roman poet Horace who died at age 57 in 8 BC) came up with the term "sesquipedalia verba", the condition was coined. Basically, at this site, it's just a guy goofing around with words.
The use of "foot-and-a-half" long words, for the most part, is a parlor game. The purpose of words is to communicate meaning. Using a word that most people won't know leads to resentment...and for good reason: Who needs some brazen-onager (bold wild-ass) foisting himself off as being erudite simply for taking the time to learn a few obsolete words?
Thus the only safe haven is a place such as this site where the guy in charge is the major-domo of brazen-onagerism. There will be no need for verbal inhibition here - this is the place to let it all go. As they say in show biz: break a leg...or as we say in the Society: fracture a nether-limb.
Just to be clear, however, there are many instances where sesquipedalia verba are truly the best choices for precisely expressing meaning. For example: dysteleologist - someone who believes in the utter purposelessness of nature. Why shouldn't that word see the light of day?...the world is rife with them!
Neologism: founderism - a smidgen too proud of an opuscule(petty work)
The Society got a major boost in 1997 upon the Founder's 50th birthday when he was gifted Charles Harrington Elster's book entitled "There's A Word For It". This book is imbued with logophilia through and through. As mentioned earlier, it is a must for every sesquipedalian. Many word books are included in the Founder's library but this one is sitting on his desk at the ready in case of a memory lapse.
The Founder has made a few unsuccessful attempts to contact Mr. Elster to express his admiration and gratitude for the creation of such a cracking compendium of fabulous words. It seems inevitable that day will come.
When an earlier and, believe it or not, more primitive attempt to launch the Society was in the works (late '90s) a link was attached to a university website unbeknownst to the Founder by one of his sons-in-law who was deep into his PhD quest. That link allowed those in the university intranet system access to their fellow-scholars' sites. Out of the blue came a phone call to the Founder from a retired University of Wisconsin professor who related the story of an earlier version of the Sesquipedalian Society that he and three college chums had established in their heyday. They even had a printed constitution in facsimile to the US Constitution. Their version captured the same sense of whimsy that the Society still limns to this day.
Needless to say, the Founder was taken aback by this turn of events. Not to worry: the retired professor, after hearing the story of the current founding, gave his blessing to the new "Founder" to sally forth and enjoy!
With that impromptu imprimatur, the new "founding" was sanctioned...Long Live the Founding!
May the Founder never founder.
mondegreen: a misunderstood or misinterpreted word or phrase; from the traditional ballad, "The Bonny Earl of Murray" - "they laid him on the green" was misheard and misinterpreted as "...the Lady Mondegreen". It's a common occurrence in the hard-of-hearing crowd, especially the Founder's elderly mother. At 96 years of age, when asked if she'd like another Pabst Beer, she replied: "No way! I'll NEVER have another pap smear."
charette: a shade of meaning liked here is: an implicit sense of urgency to get something done (albeit a rarity at the Society).
Not all words of merit are sesquipedalian - two examples: nous: (sounds like 'noose') a French word for the mind or the intellect; also with a more casual meaning of common sense
louche: (sounds like 'loosh') another French word meaning disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way What a shame these words remain virtually unused...it's why we have the Society. We try to eschew louche-ness here, but there have been instances where it's crept in - usually when the Founder has slipped his "nous".
perendinate - to delay until the day-after-tomorrow; to postpone indefinitely This is another selection from TAWFI. It often requires an OED to verify the esoteric words cited in TAWFI. The Society will rely on the cosmos for verification. Until told differently, this is the meaning we'll run with. Having said that, and recognizing that the Founder is profoundly faineant(idle), all inquiries will be "promptly perendinated" (p.246).
cerulean - deep blue like a clear sky Another motivator for the sesquipedalian cacoethes(irresistable urge) is purely aesthetic: who can enunciate 'cerulean' without a twinge of joy from the mere sound of the word?
A little more history: So after shaking off the idea that the Sesquipedalian Society wasn't an original idea, a faint taint remained. Was there any real reason to proceed...years passed...the site renewal was an annual tick on the sesquometer and the society remained moribund. The Founder became inured to the glacial state of affairs: who really cared.
Then retirement occurred setting the Founder free from his blue-collar dysteleology. His otiose work ethic began to show a pulse. Heck, there are too many hours in a day to devote to "sweet indolence" (Tortilla Flat). So the shackles began to stretch and break. Freedom from worry over the revelation of a fool in the making was a key development. This sexagenarian began feeling a bit like a Soprano's "made man". What could be the upshot?...a jowfair?(disaster despite detailed planning)...who cares?
The Founder loves this cosmopoietic lifestyle. It's said "find what you love to do, then do it" Who knew the early "ant work-ethic" would lead to a "grasshopper retirement"? See what 35 years of proxy-ditchdigging can bring a guy: Hallelujah...FREEDOM! I hope the grands get it.
Coffee break over...back to the verbal trenches...
Oxford English Dictionary (OED) - the gold-standard of dictionaries in the Founder's opinion. One is on order for the sassciety - at least the used, compact, el cheapo version. Plenty good enough for the level of exertion going on here.
It's good to have back-up definitions for some of the obsolete words being bandied about so casually - 'cosherer' for example (p.104): Charles Harrington Elster gave the meaning to be "one who lodges and eats at the expense of someone else, especially a relative". The Founder thought it sounded like a Yiddish word but a Webster search lists the definition as someone who treats another kindly or fondly. I can see the connection but there's definitely a lack of precision in CHE's entry. But then a following shade of meaning is related to an "old feudal custom in Ireland whereby the lord of the soil was entitled to quarter and feast himself and his followers at a tenant's house"...thus, the connection.
Imprecision in language enhances the fun in the Founder's always-humble opinion: it chops down any logo-hegemonic ambition in the average word maven. We eschew logo-hegemony!
CHE's done a bang-up job in his compilation of words in "There's A Word For It". One duty of the Founder is to verify that the definitions of sesquipedalian terms are semi-correct. Obviously language is mutable so the meanings evolve. The aim of this enterprise is to have a laugh anyway, so accuracy is an afterthought...but we try.
Back to mooching for a minute: sorning is another term for living at another's expense. It lacks the connection of family relations. It seems that sorning is a far more tricky endeavor. It's in conflict with the "no free lunch" axiom that natural law predicts. My guess is that cleverness and coercion come into play - there are those insidious schnorrers(p.105)out there.
The honest form of sponging is simply by declaring an eleemosynary (living by alms) standing in this world. Where's my cardboard sign?
remplissage - something used to fill with; padding: a term used in art, musical, or literary composition This word comes into its own in the term paper arena.
zaftig - a Yiddish word meaning having a full, rounded figure; juicy is a secondary meaning Did you feel the glisk?(p.26)
Neologisms are fun. There are the temporary ones and then there are those that catch on. It'll be interesting to see if "stike" catches on and makes it into the vernacular. Just to revisit the provenance of "stike": The Founder's brother coined it one day in the surfing lineup at Rincon. He says: "I know what you do. Remember when Dad would call you MikumStikum and me EvenSteven ? - you're a 'stiker'- you annoy people for your own amusement" Thus a neologism entered this demiurge.
In that vein then, here comes another: since "sesquipedaliate" was recognized in the MacMillan Dictionary as a neologism attributed to the Founder, let's try "sesquipedalianism": making a thing larger than it is just for fun. We're all about the "pursuit of happiness" here at the Society!
poltroon - an utter coward Uriah Heep comes to mind - one of Dickens's more vivid characters. Uriah was so ophidian he seemed to slither around the page.
myrmidon - a hired ruffian or unscrupulous subordinate
algerining - prowling about with the intention of committing burglary(p.118)
What a shame it is that these words go unused. Oh well, it just makes it all the more fun to find and mangle them:
A myrmidon was algerining near the poltroon who slithered and snoached his way back to the dubious redoubt of his cowardice.
This is an example of nonsensical recreational sesquipedalianism...pretty much a solo affair - but for me, it beats Solitaire. Such is the predicament for word nerds...oh how we suffer /sarc
An early sesquipedalianism from 1965: 'Duped again you maladroit churl' - This was the kick-off to the Founder's fascination with over-blown language. He was sitting in the UCSB library with a couple of chums studying; he was perusing a dictionary when he stumbled across "maladroit". He flipped the pages and up popped "churl". As a gelastic probe, he launched the above sesquipedalianism, not yet even knowing such a term existed. The coinage proved to be substantially risible to his pals. Upon a few reciprocal scourges, the topic was dropped...Yet, indeed, it lived on!
Another early inspiration: the bumper sticker which reads "Eschew Obfuscation" - there it is in a nutshell. The whole sesquipedalian game is basically a stike on intellectual pretension...but who doesn't know that! A bumper sticker long overdue: Curb Your Dogma
Zendarting - Dart-throwing as a meditation: the Founder's most frequent recreation (for more info on his routine, contact the Founder)
The callipygianous coquette inculcated acute concupiscence in the hebetic hobbledehoy...but enough about the Founder's youth for now
The unprecedented largesse of the senile benefactor instilled singular and nefarious chagrin in his avaricious heirs...garden variety sesquipedalia verba
The obsequious poltroon acquiesced to the imperious demeanor of the redoubtable larrikin
The fulsome bounder elicited loathing and disdain with his unctuous palaver and thrasonical bombast
These sesquipedalianisms were created in a verbal vortex at a beer bust.
I was esurient so I ate like a trencherman until I was cloyed and now I feel surfeit...my brother came up with this one.
Your supercilious animadversion is doing more to stultify my efforts than abet them...I wanted to use this one in my working days but somehow it didn't fit my blue-collar career.
The sesquipedalian toast: To my fellow dipsomaniacs and bibulous bounders, let us imbibe in blithe, convivial frolic, yet let us eschew profligate dissipation culminating in crapulence (teetotally yours, the Founder)
cacocallia(p.71) - the paradoxical state of being ugly but at the same time desirable Let's face it, as we age it's our only hope.
Of course if the mind needs tweaking there's always orthomentia. Just as teeth can't be straightened all at once but need the gradual pressure of orthodontia to move them into proper alignment; to change someone's mind requires gradual pressure as well.
The ideal outcome of self-improvement is sophrosyne - wise moderation and discreet good sense(p.244)
A recommendation: The Phrontistery It's a website of merit for sesquipedaliaverbaphiles.
famulous - an assistant to a scholar or a magician The Founder from early childhood would watch as magicians performed their acts...and of course he was wildly distracted by the sequined beauties carrying the hoops and rolling the clever boxes. Who knew there was a word for those morsels of distraction?! I haven't seen an "assistant to a scholar" in such a get-up...alas - But study and research are whole other issues which I'll get to after the metutials(p.248) are done.
Here's a cringe-worthy word: cacospectamania(p.29). CHE describes it as seeing something repugnant yet being unable to not stare at it. Some people have it worse than others - how else does one explain the fans of slasher movies? A more common example is the urge to look when passing a traffic wreck. In the strange-brew of human genetics it is quite evident that civilization is merely a thin veneer over the savage beasts that were our early ancestors...even if you ARE a classical music fan...wink.
Here's an example of another word from The Phrontistery where cacospectamania comes into play: rhinotillexomania - compulsive nose-picking. Sorry, but delving into sesquipedalia verba can be a disgusting business. Sometimes you just gotta grit your teeth, hold your nose, or clench your sphincter. Life isn't all milk and cookies, especially at the Society.
We'll balance the ugly side of language with some words of love: in other words, the 'philo-' variety. philolethist - a lover of truth philocalist - a lover of beauty philologist - a lover of language Let's just come out and admit it: Here at the Society we're just a passel of philo-philes!
Hmmm...a one man passel...
lucubrate - to study late into the night pernoctation - to spend the night(studying) So if you're the basic procrastinator as a student, these two words carry an ominous meaning the day before mid-terms.
grandgousier - eating to excess farctate - overly full, stuffed chalcenterous - bowels of brass opsophagy - ingestion of delicacies
But to heck with studying...it's Thanksgiving! All the grandgousiers will be feeling farctate this coming Thursday. The chalcenterous few will mow right through the feast while the opsophagists will reserve their palates for the elegant fare.
haptodysphoria - uncomfortable sensation handling fuzzy objects aichmophobia - phobia/fear of pointed or sharp objects
Genetics is a strange business: how are phobias and fears passed in the genetic brew? "Cream" wrote and sang of it.
anhedonia - the inability to sense pleasure What a damn shame! With age comes many losses of the senses: hearing, sight, taste, smell: all seem to fade. What to do? Hold onto what's left of course. One adage of which the Founder is quite fond: Don't let what you can't do keep you from doing what you can.
On the other side of anhedonia lies nikhedonia: the pleasure of anticipating victory or success. This is more tangible as success is subjective; much like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The Founder finds a sense of victory in the simplest of things such as his dart meditation. Hitting five bull's eyes out of fifteen throws is as good as chanting om for fifteen minutes. The Society is a polyanna world...we're shutting out the bogeyman...no weeds, no snakes, no worries...only the words.
Just received my new/used compact OED(1971). Oh wow! It didn't have the first three words I tried to look up. Crimony.
The obsolete words we're mining here show no sign of a comeback. What is the working vocabulary of the middle-tier high school student? Apparently not exactly a tanquam(p.201) - enough education to attend college Or stagiary - law student Or philiater - med student
It seems like it could be easy to be mistaken for an aristophren(person with a superior intellect) around here...what a game...what a laugh...what a hoax... That's why it isn't done in the Society - We of eximious standards...we're like codetalkers. But who matters?
Just sitting here on a Sunday morning wondering why are there so many words. The word books in my collection are farctate with totally useless cobbled together multi-syllabic absurdities. What idiots are perpetrating this mess on the bigger idiots who are wallowing in it all? You can't help but wonder. You'd have to be a fysigunkus(p.115) - a person totally devoid of curiosity - to not wonder.
Hold on a second! Is that apostasy from the Founder? Yes, it is...but not to worry. As long as there are esoteric words that hit the spot, the Society will carry on. For example: ichor(p.175) - the ethereal fluid that flows in the veins of the gods instead of mortal blood. Cha-ching...faith in logo-puissance restored!
We run the gamut here from agog to minimifidian(p.170). As a rule, on the average day, I'd say we're laodicean(p.169).
Okay...that's it for awhile. The strategy for getting this going was "ready, fire, aim". After a couple of months of logomania, I've reached logo-satiation.
From way back I believed that a quarterly newsletter would be the proper format for interfacing with fellow logophiles. Basically what I've just accomplished here is the "first" edition of the Sesquipedalian Society Newsletter". There have been two prior hardcopy editions of the newsletter that I've somewhat incorporated into this first electronic edition. My aim is to create an original newsletter format rather than this canned template, but it really is secondary to the content which comes out of the whirlwind of words spinning in the universe of the English language.
See you in awhile...
Happy Thanksgiving! A bit of advice: Watch the dipsomania and edacity(p.57)...crapulence is a bitch...
Still crammed to the gills due to two months of logomania. Who knew it would happen?
Of course words still stream through the consciousness of the Founder - it's a recurring and quotidian(daily) condition:
Words such as lychnobyte - a person who works at night and sleeps through the day...I've tried that...talk about feeling upside-down! ...and griffonage - illegible handwriting - aka doctor's scrawl.
Which then brings to mind quodlibetarian(p.201) - a pedantic blowhard who engages in elaborate arguments about theoretical fine points.
The Founder is feeling a recovery in progress!
After a feast or a drunk, the swearing off fades...
There are a lot interesting people of the sesquipedalian variety. TAWFI holds many - especially the olde English type: rabiator - a man who likes to fight or who perpetrates violent crimes That's the guy you don't want to meet on a dark street.
gaberlunzie - a wandering beggar, a harmless hobo; also a beggar licensed to accept alms or public charity Who knew beggars were granted licenses? At least these guys don't make you cross the street to avoid them.
palliard - a tricky beggar whose parents were also tricky beggars It's a good thing when parents pass on their talents to their children.
People to avoid this Christmas: crambazzle - worn-out dissipated old man(grandpa?) fag-ma-fuff - a garrulous old woman(grandma?) lickspittle - a person so servile as to lick the spittle off his master(looks bad a the dinner table) mackabroin - hideous old woman smellsmock - a licentious man(the olde English terms never disappoint)
If you encounter an overly fussy person at your Christmas festivities, you have crossed paths with a twiddlepoop. Frippet, fizgig, and flapadosha mean about the same thing just in case you need a few more arrows in your verbal quiver. Even though, out of politeness, you probably will hold your tongue, at least you'll have a word for them.
How about some mean women: rixatrix - a mean, brawling woman termagant - a violent woman virago - a loud-mouthed woman rudas - a repugnant hag Xanthippe - this is the name of Socrates's wife...she's noted for being an ill-tempered, brow-beating sort. However, according to TAWFI she might have had a reason: Socrates apparently was a sawed-off little know-it-all runt. Ah...a marriage made in the groves of academe...
Riffing the Phrontistery:
I was just perusing the "A" column in the Phrontistery's list of unusual words and came across "absquatulate" which means to flee or decamp in a hurry. I can't imagine that word being used without "dude" being included in the sentence: "Dude, let's absquatulate!"
Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night with a mouth as dry as the Sahara desert? It must be another of the wonders of aging. The word "sialogogue" would apply in this situation for it means "promoting salivation".
Since this is the season for eating, another word right next to "sialogogue" in the amazing TAWFI is "abligurition" - excessive spending on food and drink. It's astounding to me the way money flows like water in the name of "dining". I guess whatever it takes to beat back encroaching ennui is worth it.
I wonder if there's a word for being expected to perform at a higher level than one is capable. A little background: the Founder attended a Christmas party at which carols were sung. It was suggested that anyone who played a musical instrument should bring it along to accompany the singers.
The Founder has plunked the guitar in his desultory career of self-entertainment so, naively, he brought his along.
Lo, on a silent night, he stood beside a ukelele player, stumbling along as sideman to the uke-ster.
Three songs into their set, mercifully they got the hook.
Parvenu basically means 'upstart'...so how about 'guitarvenu'...CLANG...coined!
Here's another from the Phrontistery: barbula - small tuft of hair just below the lower lip Any jazz musicians out there? Shall we say "soul patch"?
There are a few 'caco' words of which the Founder is quite fond. For example: cacoethes. On page 29-30 in TAWFI appear three terms using "cacoethes". There's cacoethes scribendi - the urge to write; there's cacoethes loquendi - the urge to talk; and there's cacoethes carpendi - the urge to find fault. Of the afflicted, my advice is to steer clear. Of the three 'cacos' I'd say the scribendi is the least annoying to be around...at least they have a tendency to hole up and stick to themselves (however, don't volunteer to read their screenplays).
More caco-words: cacogen - an anti-social person; cacodoxy - bad doctrine or wrong opinion; cacography - bad writing or spelling; cacotopia - a state in which everything is as bad as it can be. Sometimes it seems we're in deep "caco".
Bumper sticker: If You Get Any Closer, Osculate My Fundament This is for those of us who harbor resentment against tailgaters. I guess they don't understand proxemics(p.204) - science of spatial organization and concepts of territoriality(coined by sociologist Edward T. Hall in 1963).
daedal - derived from the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus; meaning artfully created... This isn't sesquipedalia verba but in combination with the 'logo' prefix it becomes logodaedalian...now we're getting somewhere! Logodaedaly is the artful or cunning use of words - now that is at the very heart of the Founder's concept of the Sesquipedalian Society. Give yourself a gold star if you ever find yourself using 'logodaedaly' or 'logodaedalian' in your verbal or written encounters.
ecchymosis(P) - black and blue spot If you know that word, you'll be in an iota of the population...now do you feel important? Me neither.
filipendulous(P) - hanging by a thread This is a word I actually might use. So many of the monstrosities in the sesquipedalian playbook will stay relegated to the verbal closet, but I can hear myself saying "Your argument is filipendulous" to some morologist(p.115).
geromorphism - appearing to be older than one's age All I've got to say about that is "bummer"
gobemouche - a gullible person...literally, a fly swallower The image fits somehow.
franion - a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker; colloquially, a barfly or party slut A word of caution in the use of this word: You might mean a pleasure-seeking good-time-charley, but what the takeaway will be once your subject reaches a dictionary will be "party slut"...yipe!
homuncule(P) - a little artificial person Who knew that word? I just found it in the Phrontistery list. One thing I noticed: 'H' words are exceedingly boring - I got halfway through the list before I found homuncule. The reason it caught my eye is that at Christmas the decorations use homuncules extensively in their displays.
Oh...here's an aitch word to spice it up a bit: 'houghmagandy'(P)...any guesses? It means 'fornication'. The Founder thought he had seen and heard every term for "the act" but this is a new one.
Stop the presses! Check out this one: hwyl - emotional state capable of arousing intense eloquence... How did so much meaning get crammed into such a non-sesquipedalian word? I wonder if it's EVER been used in a sentence? You don't want to argue with anyone while they're hwyl'd.
iatrogenic - induced inadvertently by medical treatment This is the fear at the root of inoculations against disease. I remember the swine flu scare a few decades ago: the national disease control agency recommended getting a swine flu shot. Unfortunately many people were sickened as a result of being "inoculated" - a contradiction of the term.
idiopathic - disease particular to an individual This might be why some people are affected by an ailment while others are immune. A good example of this idea is how poison oak ravages most people, yet there are those who can roll in the stuff naked and escape any symptoms.
Another "I" word from the "Phrontistery": illecebrous - enticing; attractive This is an example of superfluous iteration of meaning, and why this word will most likely never make the "A" list in the English language. "Enticing" is superior in sound to "illecebrous" in the Founder's semi-humble opinion.
janizary - a follower or supporter Bless their hearts
jasparated - mottled; streaked with various colors Sounds like a good description of a neo-punk hairdo.
jeroboam - large bottle for holding the equivalent of six ordinary bottles of wine... Nothing jacks up a party quicker! Just listen to the cheers of approbation when that cork is popped!
A kouple of K-phobias: kainotophobia - fear of change kakorrhaphiophobia - fear of failure I fear that if the spelling isn't changed on both of these words, most people will fail to be able to spell them.
lachrymiform - shaped like a tear drop For the sesquipedalian bikers: blow a few minds on your next run to Sturges: while hoisting a jubbe(p.53) at your favorite watering hole, casually describe the gas tank on your hog as lachrymiform...maybe you'll bring a tear or two to the eyes of your biker bros as they fall to the floor laughing.
labtebricole(P) - living in holes File this one away in the brain for that special moment when it's the only word that will do...it could be years, but that's just how we roll in the Society.
laciniform(P) - shaped like a fringe It's a toss-up if, as a coif, laciniform is better than a combover...especially since Friar Tuck ruined the fringed, hole-in-the-haircut look.
lagniappe - something given as a bonus or extra gift A long-time stategy used by many merchants to instill goodwill with customers. As a boy, the Founder remembers grazing through the local supermarket, gobbling up the free samples left to the unsupervised appetite of the customers...oh feckless youth!
Continuing the perusal of the Phrontistery wordlist: Here's a beaut: macarism - taking pleasure in another's joy... Wow...I like it!...the opposite of schadenfreude!
malacissation - act of making soft and supple Millions are spent by the female masses to accomplish this...bless their hearts.
nanocephaly - having an extremely small head This reminds me of the waitingroom scene in "Beetlejuice" The opposite of this condition is megacephaly.
narial - of, or pertaining to nostrils Here's a neologism for a common nervous tic: muconariophobia Have you ever noticed a person furtively swiping at their nose during a social encounter? My guess is that they're worried about muconarial debris - in other words: snot on their nostrils. Thus the term muconariophobia.
obsolagnium - waning sexual desire due to age Sheesh...so THAT'S what it's called...and it happens quite nearly simultaneous to retirement...right when you have all the time in the world!
pachyglossal - thick tongued Sounds like what happens after the third martini.
quadratary - relating to a square Can any of you hipsters out there think of a use for this one?
