Funny (and Odd!) English Words

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Funny (and Odd!) English Words

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I learn some very interesting things when I write. Because I string words together to tell story, and because I try very hard not to repeat words in a novel too much, I often look up synonyms to make my storytelling more compelling. Which can lead me to some very odd, often funny, English words.

Well, I think they’re English anyway. Here are a bunch that might make you laugh, or at least raise a curious eyebrow:

Allegator — Someone who alleges

Argle-bargle — A loud fight or quarrel

Batrachomyomachy — Making a mountain out of a molehill

Bumbershoot — An umbrella

Bumfuzzle — To confuse

Callipygian — Having an attractive butt

Collywobbles — A bellyache

Crapulence — Discomfort from eating or drinking too much

Doodle Sack — Bagpipe

Ecdysiast — A stripper

Flibbertigibbet — Nonsense

Formication — When it feels like ants are crawling over your skin

Frankenfood — Genetically modified food

Hobbledehoy — An awkward young boy

Oocephalus — An egghead

Smellfungus — An eternal pessimist

Tittynope — A small bit of leftovers

Winklepicker — A type of shoe from the 1950s

There you go. Some fun words I wanted to share with you. But just because I shared them doesn’t make me a panjandrum who wants to bombard you with taradiddle.

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Filed under: Stories Behind The Stories Tagged: book research, English, fun words, odd words, words, writing