On the back of our silly season blog, we’re going weird and wonderful with English words to keep you entertained these summer holidays!
Roald Dahl once said: “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” So we’re embracing a little bit of nonsense and looking at some words that easily fall into the nonsense category…!
There are some amazing anomalies within the English language. We’ve talked before about some of the oddities that exist in English and where they come from, but there are a whole host more to discover too!
So let’s kick off with one that really takes the top prize for sounding like it’s total nonsense:
Floccinaucinihilipilification. We’re not going supercalifragilisticexpialidocious on you, this is actually a real word! It means an estimation of something as worthless or uninmportant and is the longest non-technical word in the English language.
Flibbertigibbet. The first known usage of this word is in the 15th century and used to be spelled flepergebet. It’s just a bit of fun and refers to someone who talks incessantly or is silly. It can also be used to describe a person who is flighty.
Wabbit. We’re not going all Elmer Fudd on you – a wabbit isn’t a rabbit for someone with a speech impediment! Wabbit is in fact a Scottish term for being exhausted.
Nudiustertian. Sometimes there are words that are a little bit more convoluted to say than they need to be, and nudiustertian is one of those! It’s a word that sounds interesting but the phrase it means is generally simpler to use (maybe that’s one of the reasons why the everyday use of it has never taken off?) … it means the day before yesterday. Now you see what we mean about the phrase being simpler than the word itself!
Gardyloo. We love this one! Remember hearing in your history lessons about how in the medieval times, people used to throw waste out of upstairs windows into the streets below? Gardyloo is the word used by Scottish folk to warn passers-by that if they didn’t get a move on, those slops would shortly be landing on their heads!
Pandiculation. The perfect word to end on when it’s summer holidays and we’re taking some time out for a little R&R! You know that feeling when you’re feeling drowsy, you wake up in the morning or when you’re tired and you have that uncontrollable urge to stretch out? That’s pandiculation – and it’s often accompanied by a bit of yawning too!
And on that note, next time you’re feeling a wabbit make sure you enjoy your pandiculation! A little stretch when you’re feeling sleepy is good for you!