Words You Never Heard!

What’s a word for a person who tells artful lies? A mendaciloquent. In the world of branding and advertising, this technique is all too well known, and just because a product is named for a place, doesn’t necessarily mean it came from there. For instance, The Outback Steakhouse actually originated in Tampa, Florida.  And New York Brand Texas toast is produced in Ohio.

Arizona Iced Tea is headquartered in New York City and Old Milwaukee Beer is brewed in Detroit.  What’s another word for the foam that forms on top of your beer? Barm! Uno’s Chicago Grill is a Boston based restaurant chain, Irish Spring Soap is made in the USA, and the London Broil method of marinating a flank steak began in the American Midwest and is virtually unheard of in England!

The language experts at Babbel sent us a few of the new coronavirus-inspired words that humanity has added to its covidictionary. You know when you’re in lockdown, one might have a tendency to overeat and gain a little weight.  Well the Germans have a word for that  additional poundage.  Kummerspeck, which literally means “grief bacon”.

The  word  spendemic was coined by The New York Post and refers to the increase in online shopping during the corona virus outbreak. According to Babbel, coronials is the term being used for the babies who will be born after the pandemic is over: “Coronials began trending on social media when people wondered if more time spent in the home could lead to slightly bigger families in the future.”

On the other hand, the pandemic has taken its toll on the dating scene with more and more romantic relationships developing on Zoom and other online services.  Now if someone breaks up with you online, there’s a new word for that… You’ve just been Zumped!   

During this difficult time of quarantine and social distancing, most of us find ourselves in the process of figuring out how to cope with this new way of life.  Before Coronavirus, I never realized how much I touch my face.  One study showed the average person touches their face with their hands 23 times an hour.  How are we supposed to put on makeup? Daddles is a British variant of the word hands.  In order to avoid touching our faces during this time, many people have found other ways to keep their daddles occupied, like working in the yard, doing puzzles, cooking, or planting flowers.  What’s a word for the pleasure one feels from doing mundane things? Eudemonia!

Many of us have also been forced into an everyday routine of Hurkle-Durkle, which is a Scottish term for getting up and hanging around the house rather than going to their job or office.  This may prove to be a little too much togetherness for some working couples.  Then again, we might just see another baby boom 9 months from now.

Due to the coronavirus, the UK  has been under lockdown, and people only allowed to leave their homes under very strict conditions! However, one blunderbuss felt the urgent need to go shopping and dressed up like a bush in order to disguise himself from the police lest he is discovered walking the streets! Blunderbuss is another word for a stupid, blundering fellow.

Neighbors happened to catch some video of the man covered head to toe in leaves as he tried to scurry from the street to his door, stopping from time to time and assuming a pose as a ‘shrubbery’  to avoid drawing any attention to himself.  At one point, he even trips and falls clutching his precious grocery bag!  What’s another word for a clumsy person?  A gawkhammer!  The short video of the bushman has gone viral on TikTok with the caption, Neighbor Sneaking Out To Get His Shopping.  The question is, how would the police handle this anyway?  With a bottle of Roundup perhaps?

During this difficult time when many all over the world find themselves under quarantine, people have had to invent some creative solutions for being able to keep up with everyday activities. For instance, how do you walk your dog if you’re not allowed to go outside?  A man in Cyprus decided to see if a drone could do the job.

Vakis Demetriou took some video of his dog walking down the street with a drone following behind holding the leash.  Mr. Demetriou was able to control the entire walk remotely from his balcony. Now a company called Drones Direct, based in West Yorkshire, England, is selling Proflight Walkies Dog Drones, which have a built-in retractable leash, hands-free piloting, and a camera so you can keep an eye on your pet. Guided by a GPS, the Doggie Drone promises to walk your dog for up to 30 minutes along a route of your choosing while avoiding obstacles with "built-in collision avoidance technology," according to its product description. What’s a word for an interestingly bizarre idea? Ostrobogulous

Valentine’s Day is almost here, or as guys like to call it, Extortion Day! My husband doesn’t understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day. He says when he thinks about romance, the last thing on his mind is a chubby toddler coming at him with a weapon!Studies show that 64% of American men don’t make plans ahead of time for Valentine’s day.  What’s a word for the act of setting a romantic mood with flowers and a candlelight dinner? Anthorexia!  Sounds more like a disease to me…anyway, as you can see, love is a many-syllabled thing:)  

This year as men are on a charrette, or last-minute effort to find the perfect Valentin’s Day card, Hallmark alone offers more than 1400 choices from the romantic to the humorous.  Trying to choose the perfect card for your valentine is enough to give anyone abulia, that’s difficulty making a decision!!

Sleep is the most important eight hours of the day. A good night’s sleep is essential to health and happiness. But if you have someone sleeping next to you that snores, getting a little shuteye can be a problem. According to a recent study by the University of Wisconsin, 45% of men and 25% of women report habitual snoring.  What’s another word for the sound a snoring person makes?  A stertor.

Snoring can be as loud as 90 decibels and is the number one reason why couples find themselves sleeping in separate bedrooms. If you sleep with someone who snores, you might be experiencing a lot of matutolypea,  that’s getting up on the wrong side of the bed! Did you know snoring is actually illegal in Massachusetts unless all bedroom windows are closed and locked? Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone!

Do Yule Know when and where did the first Christmas tree originate? Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when evergreens were decorated and celebrated in winter in anticipation of spring.  Later, Christians began bringing fir trees into their homes and adorning them with Festoons or carved and painted ornaments to celebrate everlasting life.  Some people built Christmas pyramids of wood and decorated them with evergreens and candles if the wood was scarce.  Other names for Christmas Tree Ornaments include gimcracks,  pokerwork,  and fiddleheads!

One of the main reasons it took time for Christmas trees to catch on (in theUnited States)  is that it was challenging to find a tree unless you lived near a forest or wooded area.  But now the US has over 15,000 Christmas Tree Farms, producing over 350 million trees, and only about 2% of families Christmas Trees are cut from the wild by folks who go Christmas Chopping:) What's a word for those fallen pesky Christmas Tree needles?  Diddledees!

My husband and I lived near the small quaint town of North Pole Alaska while serving at Ft. Wainwright Army Base in Fairbanks Alaska. The North Pole has a population of just over 2000 people. With street names like Kris Kringle Drive and Mistletoe Lane, It's known for its year-round Christmas decorations, including candy cane–striped street lights. The Santa Claus House in the North Pole is a Christmas store with walls covered in children’s letters to Santa.

In the early days of Christmas letters, it was Santa who wrote to the children, but soon kids starting writing back, placing their letters on the fireplace smoodging Santa to bring them gifts.

Now, the North Pole receives so many letters to Santa from children, they can hardly keep up.  Sounds to me like they could use a wayzgoose after Christmas.  Wayzgoose is a term for a printer’s holiday! 

In our house, it's a running joke that if we can’t find something important, it’s probably in my husband’s sock drawer!  He’s not alone. Millions of men hide valuables in their sock drawers and thieves (also known as priggers and jackrollers) know it!

The word sock comes from the Latin word ‘soccus’, meaning a loose-fitting slipper worn by Roman comedy actors on stage. Did you know that 82% of young American men wear mismatched socks at least once a week? The Aussies call socks the walk-a-bouts because they get lost and can’t be found! In China, the city of Datang has come to be known as ‘Sock City’, thanks to its status as the world’s top sock producing region. It is estimated that Datang manufactures enough socks to supply every person on the planet with two pairs each. That’s an awful lot of socks!

A Wangdoodle is a person who tosses things around while searching for something, such as matching socks. Ask me how I know!