yaff(P) - to bark like a snarling dog There's a dearth of sesquipedalian "Y" words...but that's okay. Short or long - logophilia is logophilia. The short "Y" words appear to be mostly onomatopoeic e.g. yip, yap, yuck, yow, yikes, you get it.
zarf(p.233) - a sleeve for a coffee cup or beer can Just a seldom-used oddity of a word. The sleeve for a beer can is usually the brown paper bag but apparently it was too easily spotted by the gendarmes so some clever beer-bellied type, no doubt, came up with a Coke sleeve to disguise the Bud logo. The sleeve for the hot coffee cup has a less sleazy provenance. I hope the inventor made a $million.
agelast(p.128) - someone who never laughs The Founder will NOT be found around this type. There are those in the world who seem to believe that having a laugh is beneath their standing...as though they are giving too much of themselves away by engaging in humorous light-heartedness. Such a shame...and what a tedious, no-fun outlook.
barathrum(P) - an abyss; an insatiable person Both to be avoided. Fall into an abyss and it's bye bye forever. Fall in with an insatiable person and they will extinguish you with their needs.
catachresis(P) - the incorrect use of a word Kids do this all the time due to phonetic association to words they already know compared to what's actually said. The Founder remembers when his younger brother was sent to daycare where the lady in charge was French and went by 'Mademoiselle'. Not knowing French 'yet' at age 5, the Founder heard 'Mad Mazel' and felt quite sorry for his bro.
dactylion(p.43) - the tip of the middle finger I'm taking CHE's word for it here. The Founder gets a kick out of CHE's humor in his explanation of the words he chooses in TAWFI. The Founder recommends acquiring said book. If you don't have it yet, here's the upshot: to "display the dactylion" is to give someone the finger.
empleomania(p.185) - an insatiable desire to run for or hold public office You'll see this type at the local level - usually quite unattractive, pinched-face types. The Founder has a gut-feeling that empleomaniacs are attempting to compensate for their looks-challenged lives by playing prominent roles in public "service"...oh the horror.
falsiloquence(P) - deceitful speech It helps to be reading from a teleprompter when thus engaged...you wouldn't want to slip up and let the truth out.
gerontolagnia(p.72) - strong sexual desire in an older man Hey Gramps...go sit in your rocker and fuhgetaboudit!
highbinder(P) - a scheming or corrupt politician There're never enough words to cover this crowd. They've been accumulating from way back
illeism(p.202) - referring to oneself as "he", "she", or one's name or title The Founder is occasionally guilty of this very same rodomontade. We try to keep him in check here at the Society but it's so very hard to contain such a colossal buffoon.
jarble(p.221) - to smear with grime or mud It's something to consider before running for office. Opposition Research WILL turn up that shop-lifting incident when you were in college. To literally "smear with grime or mud" is rarely done...'figuratively' is where all the action is with jarble.
kiyoodle(p.110) - a worthless, mangy dog This term sounds straight out of an oater where the sheriff is ordering some varmint out of town. Ah, those were the days when the kiyoodles could be dispatched posthaste.
lendrumbilate(P) - to gullibly believe in a word's veracity This word is a stiker's dream. Hardly anything is as gratifying to a waggish wordsmith as pulling a fellow logophile's leg with a nonce word. The sound of the face-palm the dupe gives himself to the forehead upon discovery of the ruse is earmusic to the rascal stiker.
milver(p.131) - a person who chatters incessantly during movies Often times this will be old people who seem to think they're sitting on their couch at home. Violence is usually the first thought of the people sitting nearby but since the offenders are aged, it would look bad to walk over and bat their popcorn in the air, so the offenders usually get away with their obtuse behavior.
nychthemeron(p.246) - a 24 hour period Another sesquipedalian oater: "I'll give you a nythemeron to clear outa Dodge".
omnistrain(p.21) - trying to cope with everything at once This can lead to anxiety.
prosopolepsy(p.31) - an inclination to accept people based on their personal appearance Sorry to any "anti-profilers" out there but the reality of the human experience is that we all do this automatically, and from an early age. It helps keep us safe, it helps us choose our friends, it informs our decisions on our business dealings, and of course it's the key driver in choosing our mates.
quakebuttock(p.107) - a quivering coward, pusillanimous wretch, poltroon Olde English words are devastingly descriptive. I've never called anyone a 'quakebuttock' but I will be ready when the opportunity presents itself. Caveat: It shouldn't be casually tossed into play...make it count!
rhytiphobia(p.162) - fear of getting wrinkles The Founder, being a geezer, has given in to the ravages of age. Wrinkles are just part of the way nature tweaks us into giving up and yielding to the young. That, however, he won't do. Having a window seat to the unfolding world is impetus enough for the Founder to keep sucking in and blowing out.
sciolist(p.201) - an intellectual fake; one who affects erudition What is an intellectual, wonders the Founder. Is it only those who have been ground into sausage by the "higher-learning" institutions? The Founder observes the current absurdity of Academe and isn't quite sure they should be the sole judges of erudition. Let's stack the sciolists up against the autodidacts and see what happens.
tantalus(P) - locked case used to hold wine bottles In the Founder's drinking days it took something like that to spare the good stuff. I learned to drink Red Mountain right out of the gallon jug on a ski trip to Mammouth while attending Santa Barbara City College. One of my early ancestors was the monkey who discovered the effects of fermented fruit. A gene mutated instantly right on the tip of his talomere. Ah youth! What a waste of biological perfection...and such fun.
ululation(p.210) - the plaintive howl of a wolf or dog The Founder remembers the days when his passion to engage in the urgency of life was painful enough to ululate. What a relief the "Mad Masters", human hormones, have left the building.
vagility(P) - ability to succeed in the struggle for existence Have you ever wondered if the modern generations are losing their vagility? And now robots are being developed to out-work and out-produce humans at much less cost of doing business. Human burger-flippers will be obsolete(and robots won't spit on your burger for fun).
whiffler(p.134) - person who clears the way for a procession or keeps order on a march This person should be large, mean, and tough...and immediately demand another name for this tough assignment -- whiffler sounds prissy.
xenium(P) - gift made to a guest or ambassador; any compulsory gift Don't you just hate compulsory gifting?! Of course it's a great opportunity for re-gifting the last xenium YOU may have received. Now you know what it's called.
yobbery(P) - hooliganism Trouble caused by young punks. There's probably nothing as irritating to a geezer as the trouble stirred up by a pack of punks. Thugs are more mature so their shenanigans are more methodical. Yobbery is just messing stuff up at random.
zabernism(P) - misuse of military authority; bullying As a misotyrannist, the Founder is ever-on-gaurd for zabernism. The beauty of the rule of law is that the weak and vulnerable are protected from abuse by the bullies of the world. Yay for that! Yay for the Constitution!
abecedism(P) - word created from the initials of words in a phrase This is a fun sesquipedalian game. It's also done for political purposes in the form of acronyms such as the TEA Party which stood for Taxed Enough Already. The Founder appreciated the sentiment there. Especially when Mr FICA cut his pound of flesh from the Founder's blue collar paycheck...dang! that hurt.
basorexia(p.70) - an overwhelming urge to kiss or neck Teens are notorious for this condition...the Founder thinks it has something to do with hormones. Oldsters not so much...the Founder thinks it has something to do with the flavor of Polident.
curglaff(p.26) - the shock felt when plunging into cold water Metaphorically speaking, a curglaff could be felt after some horrid world event. It could even occur with the realization that the person next to you, upon waking, is a total stranger.
decubitus(p.43) - one's posture or position in bed Interesting word, this. Left-side of bed, right-side of bed...what's the diff but somehow it matters. Stomach, back, side? Snoring; back-ache; rotator cuff; closest to door; foot out; fetal position; spread out; toss and turn; flat on the back; pillow type; arms over head; dogs; pjs; naked: all these things and more add to the mystery of personal preference.
ergophobia(p.162) - fear of work After all the effort to raise a child, there's nothing quite so disappointing to parents as the realization they have an ergophobiac on their hands. The last straw is discovering the kid is too lazy to steal.
facinorous(P) - atrociously wicked This is a bit of a gem for an obsolete word. It has a little music to it and it belies its definition. Anything "atrociously wicked" should NOT have a lilt!
galere(P) - group of undesirable people; unpleasant situation The "news" is ALL about undesirable people and unpleasant situations. Rancor sells papers and gives politicians grounds to usurp more power and extract more money from the citizens. The Founder is NOT a fan of the media.
habromania(P) - insanity featuring cheerful delusions I wish that people going insane would test drive habromania to see if it suits them. It's so much easier to be around people with cheerful delusions than constant whiners.
incondite(P) - not well put together; poorly constructed This is a good description of California construction. One would think you'd pay less for a "house of sticks" but oh no, one would be wrong. On the other hand you can get a "house of bricks" for a real bargain in Texas. To live in the climate you want will cost you. Keeping the wolf out is a second thought in this calculus.
jumentous(p.113) - smelling like horse urine Sorry to say, but when walking down State St, this is now a common odor. Some of our sportulary enterpreneurs are falling down in their personal hygiene. When a human goes a week with sodden britches s/he achieves the distinction of smelling like a horse.
kenophobia(P) - fear of empty spaces Sounds sort of like the fear of nothingness. I suppose it's the Robinson Crusoe scenario of being lost on a desert island alone. Robbie's motto: TGIF
labiomancy(P) - lip reading The Founder is gradually losing touch with his senses. This seems to occur in aging Danes, especially regarding hearing. To counteract his impairment, the Founder attempts to read lips. Now, due to diplopia, he's got Roostereyetis so he's apt to get a few spoken words wrong. Alas, he's a hard-head about wearing hearing aids - he says he doesn't like the way they feel in his ears. The main trouble is, he's nearly unreachable in his cosmopoietic(p.247) state of mind anyway. Danish Sesquipedalians can be a refractory lot and you don't always know what they're saying and neither do they.
macography(P) - viewing an object with the naked eye The Founder wonders about the concept of "naked eye". He wears glasses for near-sightedness and now a special prism film has been installed on his right lens to refract incoming light to correct for his diplopia. So, that doesn't sound like "naked eye". A neologism has been coined by the Founder to put a panjandrum title to his vision impairment. He calls it 'Roostereyetis' being 'Rooster' is a past nickname of the Founder given to him by his father and then resurrected in the Founder's ditchdigging career. The Founder feels like he's jactitating his head around like a rooster to compensate for his cock-eyed vision.
naufrageous(P) - in a state of danger or ruin; threatened This word pretty much pegs why the Founder won't read the "news" any more. The dystopian world that exists in the papers, periodicals, and TV is very unsettling to his world view. Who needs all the clamor and havoc that are repeated 24/7 in the cable news cycle? The Founder prefers the milk and cookies world that exists in his Sesquipedalian Society.
opsophagy(p.49) - the ingestion of delicacies Commonly called "fat pills". When something tastes too good, it's dangerous. For instance a pint of Brazilian Coffee Chocolate Chip ice cream from McConnell's. For some dang reason they stopped making it, but when it was available, the luxury of just you and your spoon and a pint of that ambrosia was a bit of heaven on Earth.
periclitate(p.222) - to put in danger; to expose to risk In a dangerous world, the Founder often wonders about the things that some people fear. Many people fear the smallest of things while ignoring the most dangerous. Case in point: Eating only "organic" food for the sake of avoiding pesticides and modern techniques of farming (which are feeding the world more bountifully than ever before), and yet casually riding in cars which 'periclitates' them to the most danger they will face in their daily lives.
quarterlight(P) - small triangular ventilation window in a car I'm old enough to remember those windows in cars. When the Founder's family moved to California from Texas in 1955, we came in a 1947 Chevy Fleetline sedan. That ventilation window could be angled to blow a strong current of air right into your face. You had to be a little careful or else it would also blow a bug in your eye.
ragmatical(P) - wild; ill-behaved Why is it that we remember the times we have been ragmatical when we think of the fun we've had? Humans are odd creatures in that we do so many things that have nothing to do with survival. As a matter of fact, danger seems to spice up our lives. An anthropologist might suggest that it harks back to our wild ride from the cave to the condo.
saltation(P) - jumping or leaping; abrupt variation An "abrupt variation" often upsets the 'apple cart' of life. Even though it's disruptive, it also can create necessary change. Much like an earthquake occurs when forces of nature are in opposition to the breaking point. For good or bad, saltation occurs regardless of mankind's comparatively puny resistance to change.
trullization(p.223) - the act of laying on plaster with a trowel; or figuratively, the act of laying it on thick as advice, flattery, etc. The Founder is not vulnerable to the secondary meaning. Being he's a "made man" he just plain won't listen to a blowhard. He's decided to take his own counsel on all subjects unless he invites an opinion(usually for a stiking opportunity).
ubiety(P) - location; state of being in a definite place If you're calling Uber you should know your ubiety...luckily your iphone does that for you these days so there's another evolutionary defect in humanity solved. Some people have a built in GPS but many of us lesser humans are lost instantly when out of our own purlieu. Yay for technology!
vagility(P) - ability to succeed in the struggle for existence Hey parents, isn't this our basic goal for our off-spring? Sure, at their birth we dream big dreams of their future greatness but once we've been pulled through the knothole of their adolescence aren't we mainly just looking for signs of vagility?
waftage(P) - transportation through water or air Once upon a time the Founder and his brother built and flew one of the first hanggliders at the inception of the sport of hanggliding. Longstoryshort: The Sesquipedalian Society came soo close to crashing before even taking flight! Since, clearly, the Founder survived his youthful falderol, the Society lives! Having said that, let it be known the feeling of waftage abides in the Founder's essence. In combination with his 50+ year surfing career, he understands waftage. PS: Future waftage will be by cruiseship or airliner ONLY...It would be asinine to risk this retiree gig!
xenodochial(P) - hospitable; kindly to strangers The kindness of strangers has always been much appreciated by Sesquipedalians. The Founder used to drive some very funky old cars. He went through a Buick phase in the late sixties with a '53 three-holer and a '56 gunboat four-holer. By the time he owned these cars the mechanical conditions were sketchy. On the '53 Buick the trasmission slipped badly and the muffler was shot...it was polyphloisboian(p.208). Here's where the xenodochial factor came into play: the '56 Buick sedan had a bad radiator and clogged waterjackets so the Founder had to drive his wife and child at 40MPH on the highway between Chico and Santa Barbara on trips home or else it would overheat and all the water would spew out of the radiator cap. After a boil-over he would get out of the car and stand on the edge of the road with the hood up and steam spewing and sure enough a semi-tractor trailer rig would pull to a stop and offer a gallon jug of water to the hapless young nitwit. After that laborious ordeal he junked that lemon and moved on to his next vehicular travesty: a Taunus!...that's right - you've never heard of such a car! That's just how the Founder rolled in his salad days.
youthquake(P) - the series of cultural upheavals of the 1960s The Founder, as an early boomer, was there in the midst of that 'youthquake'. Though it was a totally self-centered venture into irresponsible hedonism...it was a wonderful time. The music, the psychedelia, the zeitgeist of something big happening!...so fun. Of course the whole trip was taurine feces that quickly led to ruinous self-indulgence from which many of the boomers never recovered. That was a huge downside. But for those of us who didn't take the era as the "age of Aquarius" but rather a couple of "summers of love", many pleasant memories were made. The old hippies who took it oh so seriously and never moved on are a sorry sight to behold, but bless their hearts, they're mostly harmless anachronisms now.
zugzwang(P) - chess blockade If one considers that life at times can be like a chess match then zugzwang can have a broader meaning. The Founder has been zugzwanged many a time in his 48 years of marital bliss.
anabiosis - revival after apparent death; a temporary state of suspended animation The Founder assists in attending his ancient mom on a daily basis. There are times when he checks her during one of her naps and the natural thing to do is to check for breathing. So far, anabiosis has been the order of the day.
barmecide - insincere benefactor This word could find many uses in describing government 'assistance' where end-result doesn't match up to promise.
Hey...I'm back for more! One thing about being the effing Founder is you can do what you like when you feel like it. The Founder found a "new" word book in his bookcase while clearing out several unread political tomes: "The Superior Person's Book of Words" by Peter Bowler. The Founder bought it at the Santa Barbara "Anthropologie" a few years ago on a fluke while he was waiting for his "Superior Half" to finish with her browsing. We're going to run with that little gem for awhile. Words used from Peter Bowler's clever little book will be designated with (PB) after the word
cacophemism(PB) - the opposite of euphemism Guys use this technique all the time when dealing with their buddies: "Hey, Butthead" and the like. It can be fun but it runs to the juvenile oh so quickly.
apophenia - human tendency to perceive meaningful patterns with random data This is the mechanism that makes numerology fun. Who doesn't like a bit of magic to bust up the routine. The I Ching is another example of finding meaning in tossing coins to locate answers in an ancient book. The Founder likes a little mumbojumbo in his life.
pareidolia - Psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus(image or sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern where none exists This is a cousin of apophenia but involves images and sounds. An example of pareidolia would be lying in bed looking at the ceiling and picking out faces or forms in the stucco texturing. A more common example is finding forms and faces in clouds as they float by with the breeze. Fun is where you find it.
