Recently I saw a post on Reels about favorite and least-liked words, and that called to mind some recent and past posts of mine which happened upon some unusual words used by Dickinson – words like “abstemiousness,” “propitious” and others. I’ll get to those words later. First, the Reels post that showed up in my feed.
The Reels’ video was posted by a dude named @bentellect, and he posted a pronouncement made by someone known as @jazz_inmypants and comments made by others in reaction to his assertion: “Best English word is Pizzazz. Worst English word is Twelfths. Any questions?”
The responses @jazz_inmypants received are the following:
I like bookkeeper because it has three double letters in a row.
I would whisper “ladle” repeatedly to myself as a kid because I liked how it sounds.
My favorite word is SMITHEREENS. It’s perfect.
Love the word “bungalow.”
I like “level” because it looks like an owl.
I’ve always loved juxtaposition.
CRISP is the only word that starts at the back or your mouth and travels forward to your lips. Say it slowly, Crriissp.
Completely agree with the “moist” thing.
Personally I love flabbergasted and bumblebee.
Kerfuffle needs more (heart).
Hijinx! The only word with three dotted letters in a row.
I’d like to raise your best word to “buffoonery.”
There is razzmatazz.
Pamphlet is awful. That many consonants together should never be allowed…mphl? Really?
Don’t sleep on “sassafras.” That’s a quality word.
“Glockenspiel” is a delight to say.
Always liked the word Cattywampus and hated galoshes.
The Rural Juror
[SIDE NOTE: That mention of "ladle" is straight from a line by Linda in the show "Bob's Burgers."]
What’s your favorite or least favorite word? I’ve always liked “megalopolis,” “serendipity,” “ad infinitum,” and “hootenanny.” Words I don’t like? “Regurgitate,” “scab,” “mooch,” “buttress,” “frippery” and “dongle.” I will say that I’ve always hated the name of that restaurant “Ruth’s Chris’ Steak House.”
So back to Dickinson. Some of the more out of the ordinary words used by Dickinson are “abstemiousness,” used in “Who never wanted maddest joy” (HERE), and “propitious,” used in “Went up a year this evening” (HERE).
How about the word “surcingle”? Are you familiar with that word?
While it might be foreign to modern readers (except those who work with horses), the word would have been very familiar to those in the late 19th century.
sur·cin·gle
/ˈsərˌsiNGɡ(ə)l/
noun
The word shows up in Dickinson’s poem “Bees are Black, with Gilt Surcingles.” How perfect is that?
The Reels’ video was posted by a dude named @bentellect, and he posted a pronouncement made by someone known as @jazz_inmypants and comments made by others in reaction to his assertion: “Best English word is Pizzazz. Worst English word is Twelfths. Any questions?”
The responses @jazz_inmypants received are the following:
I like bookkeeper because it has three double letters in a row.
I would whisper “ladle” repeatedly to myself as a kid because I liked how it sounds.
My favorite word is SMITHEREENS. It’s perfect.
Love the word “bungalow.”
I like “level” because it looks like an owl.
I’ve always loved juxtaposition.
CRISP is the only word that starts at the back or your mouth and travels forward to your lips. Say it slowly, Crriissp.
Completely agree with the “moist” thing.
Personally I love flabbergasted and bumblebee.
Kerfuffle needs more (heart).
Hijinx! The only word with three dotted letters in a row.
I’d like to raise your best word to “buffoonery.”
There is razzmatazz.
Pamphlet is awful. That many consonants together should never be allowed…mphl? Really?
Don’t sleep on “sassafras.” That’s a quality word.
“Glockenspiel” is a delight to say.
Always liked the word Cattywampus and hated galoshes.
The Rural Juror
[SIDE NOTE: That mention of "ladle" is straight from a line by Linda in the show "Bob's Burgers."]
What’s your favorite or least favorite word? I’ve always liked “megalopolis,” “serendipity,” “ad infinitum,” and “hootenanny.” Words I don’t like? “Regurgitate,” “scab,” “mooch,” “buttress,” “frippery” and “dongle.” I will say that I’ve always hated the name of that restaurant “Ruth’s Chris’ Steak House.”
So back to Dickinson. Some of the more out of the ordinary words used by Dickinson are “abstemiousness,” used in “Who never wanted maddest joy” (HERE), and “propitious,” used in “Went up a year this evening” (HERE).
How about the word “surcingle”? Are you familiar with that word?
While it might be foreign to modern readers (except those who work with horses), the word would have been very familiar to those in the late 19th century.
sur·cin·gle
/ˈsərˌsiNGɡ(ə)l/
noun
- a wide strap that runs over the back and under the belly of a horse, used to keep a blanket or other equipment in place.
The word shows up in Dickinson’s poem “Bees are Black, with Gilt Surcingles.” How perfect is that?
How about the word “Emigravit”? “Emigravit” is a Latin word that means "departed,” and in years past, it was often used on gravestones.
In this case, Dickinson didn’t use the word in any of her poems. Instead, Thomas Wentworth Higginson wanted to use “Emigravit” as the title for “Went up a year this evening” in Series Two of “Poems” in 1891, but Mabel Loomis Todd convinced him to change the name to “Gone.”
Other unusual vocabulary in Dickinson’s poetry include “cochineal,” “mazarin,” “Thermopylae,” “sedulous,” and “cambric.”
Do you have any favorite words?
In this case, Dickinson didn’t use the word in any of her poems. Instead, Thomas Wentworth Higginson wanted to use “Emigravit” as the title for “Went up a year this evening” in Series Two of “Poems” in 1891, but Mabel Loomis Todd convinced him to change the name to “Gone.”
Other unusual vocabulary in Dickinson’s poetry include “cochineal,” “mazarin,” “Thermopylae,” “sedulous,” and “cambric.”
Do you have any favorite words?
Other unusual vocabulary in Dickinson’s poetry include “cochineal,” “mazarin,” “Thermopylae,” “sedulous,” and “cambric.”
Do you have any favorite (or not-so-favorite) words?
Do you have any favorite (or not-so-favorite) words?
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