I think I spend too much time thinking about language. I like thinking about how words fit together and how they evolve in usage and meaning. In fact one of the best things about my recent reading of literature from the 1920’s is seeing how words like “decadent” have changed in meaning (while the dictionary still lists “marked by decay or decline” as the primary meaning that’s hardly the primary use any more).
I’ve spent many long nights debating connotation and usage and common meanings with other like-minded people, and examining old slang usages to figure out what it says about the people who use them. So when I come across a list like this I tend to erupt in something closely akin to a squeal.
I’d love to bring a couple of them back, notably:
9. Brabble
Verb – “To quarrel about trifles; esp. to quarrel
noisily, brawl, squabble” – Brabble basically means to argue loudly
about something that doesn’t really matter, as in “Why are we still
brabbling about who left the dirty spoon on the kitchen table?” You can
also use it as a noun: “Stop that ridiculous brabble and do something
useful!”
I love words that take complex actions and convey them simply, and brabble is a perfect example.
15. Bibesy
Noun – “A too earnest desire after drink.” – “Bibesy” may
have been completely made up in the 18th century and it’s unclear
whether it ever made it into common use, but it could easily be used
today: “Wedding guests waited anxiously for the bar to open; bibesy
should be expected after such a long, dull service.”
There are times in your life when you just really really need a drink. And now there’s a word for that.
Check out the complete list here.