15 Weird English Words You Won’t Believe Exist!
Becoming fluent in English can be tricky!
English’s crazy vocabulary is almost definitely to blame.
There are many words that look and sound totally weird.
Good thing they’re all in the dictionary–or we might think that they were invented for the pages of a fairytale!
You probably think you should be able to read English with zero problems since you’ve mastered all the important grammar rules, slang words and idioms. Plus, you already have a wide vocabulary. Even so, weird English words come along and still leave you feeling a bit confused!
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Why Learn Weird English Words?
Increasing your vocabulary is always useful—from basic, common vocabulary words to the weirdest ones in the language.
Even native English speakers are constantly learning new words that they never knew existed! You’ll have more brilliant ways that you can describe things and express your ideas. You can impress your friends with your knowledge or even get a great new job by demonstrating your English skills in a big interview.
Just understanding one more word will help you make your way through confusing English conversations. Even if you never use some of these weird words, you won’t be left wondering “what?” if you hear native English speakers use them.
You will also understand a lot more too! This can lead to greater confidence … which then means you speak and practice even more!
Finally, weird English words often have lots of syllables (the different sounds within a word) and unique letter combinations, making them excellent for pronunciation practice.
Say them out loud. Hear the fantastic sounds they make, and you’ll certainly agree that these weird words will add some more life to your sentences and make people stop and listen!
How to Remember Weird New English Words
Once you’ve learned all the great new words in our list below, make sure that you actually practice them so that you can make them part of your regular conversations.
Some top tips for remembering new vocabulary include the following points:
Keep a Vocabulary List
This doesn’t have to be anything fancy—just a small notebook where you write all new words as you learn them. It helps to have a page for words that start with each letter of the alphabet.
Divide each page into three columns. Write the word in the first column and a short definition (in English) in the second column. You can use the third column for making notes, sample sentences and any additional meaning in your own language.
Use Post-It Notes and Cards
If you find some words very difficult to remember, try to write the word on a post-it note and stick it somewhere where you’ll see it often. The more you read the word the more you’ll remember it.
You could also have small cards with new words that you take with you to different places—you can then refresh your memory when sitting on the train or bus, waiting for a friend in a coffee shop on your lunch break… anywhere!
Hear Real English Speakers Use Them in FluentU Videos
One of the easiest ways to make sure you do get the chance to practice hearing new English words is by learning with FluentU. FluentU takes real-world English videos—like movie trailers, music videos, news and more—and turns them into personalized language lessons.
You can type a specific word into the FluentU search bar to see videos that have the word. That way, you will get to hear how native speakers use the word in real, natural conversations!
You can also simply watch the videos to pick up new words you’ve never heard of. Every video comes with interactive subtitles—just click or tap any unfamiliar word, and FluentU will automatically pause the video to show you a definition and examples. You can try it out on your computer, iOS or Android device.
Use New Words!
Try to use new words as often as you can in your conversations. The more you say a word, the more you’ll remember it!
15 Weird English Words You Won’t Believe Exist!
Have a look at these weird English words and try them out as you speak with people:
1. Kerfuffle (kəˈfʌf(ə)l)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Kerfuffle (noun) has been around since the early 1800s. There are two ideas as to how it came into English. It probably came from either Scottish Gaelic or from Celtic Irish, the languages that were used historically in Scotland and Ireland.
If somebody asked you the following question, would you know what they meant?
“What’s all the shouting for? Why are you making such a kerfuffle?”
It means to make a fuss or a bother, usually when people have different points of view. Imagine two of your friends having a minor disagreement over something and making quite a bit of noise – doesn’t kerfuffle sound like a great way to describe the situation? They might also be making a hullaballoo too…
2. Hullaballoo (ˌhʌl.ə.bəˈluː)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
“Did you hear all that hullaballoo in the office today?”
A word that really sounds like what it means, hullaballoo (noun) is the loud noises and shouting that people make when they’re angry.
It’s been part of the English language since the middle of the 18th century.
3. Cacophony (kəˈkɒf(ə)ni)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Another word related to noise, a cacophony (noun) is a mixture of horrible sounds. Imagine birds screeching, alarm bells ringing and babies screaming…and you’ve got yourself a cacophony!
You may already know that words that end in phone or phony are related to sound in some way. Cacophony comes from a Greek word made up from kacos (bad) and phone (sound). It entered English in the mid 1600’s.
4. Ragamuffin (ˈraɡəmʌfɪn)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Ragamuffin (noun) comes from the English that was used during the Middle Ages.
You’ve probably heard the word rag, right? A dirty and scruffy piece of old cloth. So it’ll make sense to know that a ragamuffin is a person who wears dirty and scruffy clothes – clothes that are just like rags! It’s usually used for children, and you may also sometimes hear it used to describe scruffy-looking animals.
The next time you hear someone say,
“I send my children to school dressed smartly, and they come home like little ragamuffins!”
You’ll know exactly what they mean!
5. Whippersnapper (ˈwɪpəsnapə)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Nothing to do with whips or snaps, say whippersnapper (noun) quickly and you’ll create a funny and harsh sound!
Although this term is a little bit old-fashioned today, it’ll certainly make people smile if you use it. It’s been part of the English language since the 17th century and is a mixture of two terms. One referred to a lazy person who had no ambitions. The other term was used for young people who lived on the street and did bad things, like stealing and tricking people.
The meaning has changed over the years, and today it’s used for a young person who’s too confident and perhaps a little cheeky! It’s a perfect word to use for an inquisitive child who just can’t stop questioning and correcting their parents!
Would you giggle if you heard this conversation?
Mother: “Come here, please”
Child: “No, I’m busy”
Mother: “I asked you to please come here”
Child: “No. Dad said when people are busy you shouldn’t disturb them. So please leave me alone!”
Mother: “Well, you little whippersnapper!”
6. Gobbledygook (ˈɡɒb(ə)ldɪˌɡuːk)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Close your eyes for a second and think of a turkey. What sound does it make? Does it sound something like “gobble, gobble, gobble”? That’s exactly where this word came from!
Created from the meaningless sound that turkeys make, gobbledygook (noun) was originally an American English word. It was created in the 1940’s to mean words that are nonsense or have no meaning. It also describes when people use too many technical words and so other people can’t understand what they’e saying.
“The Director was talking a load of gobbledygook in that meeting. I have no idea what he wants!”
7. Gibberish (ˈdʒɪb(ə)rɪʃ)
If someone is talking gobbledegook they’ll also be talking gibberish!
Gibberish (noun) means the same: nonsense words and phrases that sound like English but have little meaning.
Gibberish is an older term than gobbledegook. It’s been in use since the mid 16th century. It’s not known where the word came from, but many people believe it was taken from either a similar Spanish or Swedish word.
Make sure you practice your English – you don’t want to talk gobbledegook and gibberish!
8. Poppycock (ˈpɒpɪkɒk)
Have you ever listened to somebody trying to talk about something that they know absolutely nothing about? Like, you know that what they’re saying is completely untrue, yet they insist on continuing to talk? Or where someone has told you some so-called facts that are totally wrong?
It’s highly likely that they’re talking poppycock!
No laughing! Poppycock has nothing to do with poppies (a type of flower) or cocks (a male bird and a slang term for a man’s intimate body parts!)
Poppycock actually came from the Dutch word pappekak, which is made from pap (soft) and kak (poop!). It’s been part of English since the 1800’s.
A: “Hey, did you know that if you keep your eyes open when you sneeze your eyes will fly out?”
B: “What a load of poppycock!”
9. Discombobulate (ˌdɪskəmˈbɒbjʊleɪt)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Mainly used in North American English, if somebody’s talking lots of gibberish, gobbledegook, and poppycock, they may be trying to discombobulate (verb) another person. You may feel a little discombobulated (adjective) by all these strange words!
Confused? You should be! Discombobulate means to confuse!
It’s been used since the mid 19th century, and is mainly used in a funny way.
“What’s the matter? You look a little discombobulated!”
10. Flummox (ˈflʌməks)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
If you’re now feeling very discombobulated you are also flummoxed (adjective)!
To flummox a person (verb) means to confuse them a lot.
It came into the English language in the middle of the 19th century. It was taken from dialects used in some parts of the UK.
11. Curmudgeon (kəːˈmʌdʒ(ə)n)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Are you trying to find just the right word for someone who’s very bad-tempered and grumpy? Curmudgeon (noun) might be just the word that you’re looking for!
Dating back to at least the 16th century, this word has been used for a long time.
If you hear someone say,
“I don’t like our English teacher … he is a real curmudgeon!”
you can agree (or hopefully disagree!) and know what it means.
12. Lackadaisical (ˌlakəˈdeɪzɪk(ə)l)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
How about if you want to describe that someone’s lazy and has no enthusiasm or determination? Lackadaisical (adjective) would be perfect in this situation!
It’s been in use since the 1700’s, although where it came from isn’t clear.
For example,
“My sister has no job and is doing nothing to find one. She is so lackadaisical.”
13. Woebegone (ˈwəʊbɪɡɒn)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Another terrific adjective. Can you guess what a woebegone person looks like?
It’s easy to break this word into two parts – woe (extreme sadness) and begone (an old-fashioned word that means surrounded by something). So, woebegone means “surrounded by sadness.” It comes from Middle English, English that was used during the Middle Ages.
The next time your friend looks sad, you can ask them,
“Why do you look so woebegone?”
14. Lollygag (ˈlɒlɪɡaɡ)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
What a fantastic verb: to lollygag! Nothing to do with lollies or gags, it actually means to be idle and lazy or to waste time. It’s most common in the USA. It’s not unusual to hear parents shout to their children to “stop lollygagging” – now you’ll know what they’re talking about!
The word has been used since the 1800’s. Nobody really knows where it came from though.
15. Frankenfood (ˈfraŋk(ə)nfuːd)
15 weird english words you won't believe exist
Very new when compared to all the others on the list, the word Frankenfood (noun) came into existence in the 1990’s.
It’s used informally for genetically modified (GM) foods. GM foods are those that have been scientifically altered in some way, that haven’t grown naturally.
Frankenfood is a combination of the words Frankenstein and food. Frankenstein is a story about a scientist, Dr. Frankenstein, who creates a monster in his laboratory.
You might hear people say, for example,
“I’m not eating there! They use Frankenfoods!”
Don’t be lackadaisical or lollygag along! Learn new words so you don’t talk poppycock. Maybe next time you meet a whippersnapper you can flummox them with words! There’s no need to feel discombobulated if you hear gibberish and gobbledegook, and don’t be woebegone – learning new words can be easy once you start!
10 Obscure Words That Are Somehow Real
Featuring sword dances, frog-tossing, and the letter 'M'
Whiffle
top 10 words with bizarre meanings whiffle
Definition - to flourish a sword in sword dancing so as to produce a whistling sound
Sword dances - traditional folk dances featuring men and swords - have a long and glorious history. These days, you can see (and hear) whiffling in the circular "guerrilla" dances of Turkey and the Balkans and in the Balkan "rusalia" fertility dance. In case you were wondering, the trademark "Wiffle Ball" omits the h.
The word whiffler, although closely resembling whiffle, is fairly distinct. It has meanings such as “a person who frequently changes opinions or course,” and “a person who uses shifts and evasions in argument”; the origin of this whiffler is from an obsolete word for “battle-ax,” wifle.
On page 9 we see a good technical term, “whiffling”—the sound made by flashing swords. Eagerly we read on and are told that war dances grew out of herdsmen’s need for new land.
— Gertrude P. Kurath, Midwest Folklore, Fall 1955
Spanghew
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Definition - to throw violently into the air; especially, to throw (a frog) into the air from the end of a stick
This is a brief note, before getting into the particulars of this word, alerting all of our readers to the fact that while we may define words on the subject of frog-tossing, we are very much opposed to the practice of such. Please do not be mean to frogs.
Although it originally involved an unsavory pastime in which sticks were used to hurl frogs into the air, spanghew has had other meanings as well. For example, one 19th century report refers to a particular horse's insistence on "spang-hewing" its riders. (Spang, by the way, is a verb in its own right. It's mostly used in Scotland and means "throw" or “jump.
I am not, in the noble vernacular of Newcastle, going to set myself seriously to spanghew a paddock, but we sometimes hear the same hackneyed phrase about anonymous correspondents used by persons much better entitled to charitable correction.
— Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette (Sunderland, Eng.), 6 Dec. 1877
Axinomancy
top 10 words with bizarre meanings axinomancy
Definition - divination by means of the movements of an ax placed on a post
Anyone who doubts that the human race is getting better at this whole business of life need only take a few minutes to look over some of the ways our forebears had of figuring out what to do in the future. Our ancestors used such methods of prognostication as coscinomancy (“divination by the mode of sieve and shears”), hepatoscopy (“divination by inspecting the liver of animals”), and the ever-reliable spatulamancy (“divination by means of an animal's shoulder blade”).
Another ancient means of determining guilt, axinomancy involved balancing an ax on a post, and reading a list of names aloud. If the ax moved at a particular name, that person was deemed guilty. In another (equally strange) version, a marble was placed on a red-hot ax; the motion of the marble signaled guilt.
Some Divined by Sieve and Shears; hence Coscinomancy.
This kind of Divination is (as 'tis said) much in use now in the Northern parts, by the frequenters of Horse Courses and Foot Races.
Some Divined by an Ax; hence Axinomancy.
Some Divined by Lots; hence Cleromancy.
— Thomas Lawson, Dagon’s Fall Before the Ark, 1679
Breeches Part
top 10 words with bizarre meanings breeches part
Photo: Wikipedia
Definition - a theatrical role that is regularly or frequently played by an actress in male costume
Men, not women, have traditionally worn breeches (a type of short pants) throughout history, but it is women, not men, who fill the breeches part. In Shakespeare's day, male actors played the roles of women; by the mid-17th century, after the Puritan ban on theater had ended, women were playing female parts. The notion of the breeches part reintroduced novelty as women donned pants to play traditionally male roles. A modern-day breeches part is the role of Peter Pan.
Last Summer Mr. Colman jun. engaged her at the Haymarket Theatre, for the purpose of sustaining a breeches part, in his Play of The Battle of Hexham, which she performed admirably.
— Joseph Haslewood, The Secret History of the Green Rooms, 1790
Poltophagy
top 10 words with bizarre meanings poltophagy
Definition - thorough chewing of food until it becomes like porridge
Poltophagy was an offshoot of Fletcherism, a health fad of the Victorian era. Nutritionist Horace Fletcher advocated chewing each mouthful 30+ times before swallowing as a method of maximizing health. Adherents of poltophagy were not distracted from dinner conversation by chew-counts, but they nonetheless had their mouths full for much of the meal.
The word poltophagy was coined by a doctor who drew upon the Greek word poltos for his invention, with the misunderstanding that poltos meant "masticated" or "finely divided." Poltos, though, means "porridge," and this etymology has stuck to the modern word.
The exclusive use of this means of swallowing is only possible with finely divided food—I have called this way of taking food poltophagy (poltos, masticated, finely divided), and the other, psomophagy (psomos, biting, tearing).
— The Dental Register, 15 Sept. 1910
Levament
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Definition - “The comfort which one hath of his wife.” (Henry Cockeram, The English Dictionarie, 1623)
Many times, when one stumbles across an English word which relates in some way to the characteristics or actions of a wife, the word is perhaps not so pleasant as one might wish. We have words for the lecture a wife gives to her spouse (curtain lecture) or the excessive fondness or submissiveness for a wife (uxoriousness), but a dearth of words such as levament. The word is, alas, not common enough that you will find it in many dictionaries, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, even if only to remind yourself of its existence on those occasions when you find yourself taking comfort in your wife. We know of no correlate word for the comfort which one has of one’s husband.
Crowkeeper
top 10 words with bizarre meanings crowkeeper
Definition - a person employed to scare off crows
Keeping the crows away was once enough of a task to merit its own occupation name; in the first act of Romeo and Juliet, Benvolio scoffed at the idea of Romeo and his buddies "scaring the ladies like a crowkeeper.”
The date is out of such prolixitie,
Weele haue no Cupid, hood winkt with a skarfe,
Bearing a Tartars painted Bow of lath,
Skaring the Ladies like a Crow-keeper.
But let them measure vs by what they will,
Weele measure them a Measure, and be gone.
— William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet, 1623
Crows have contributed a large number of figurative words and phrases to our language, including such as crowhop (“a short quick jump (as that of a startled crow)”), crows-feet, and the practice of eating crow.
Gyascutus
top 10 words with bizarre meanings gyascutus
Definition - an imaginary large four-legged beast with legs on one side longer than on the other for walking on hillsides
Described as a "near relative of the Whang-Doodle and a distant cousin of the Snipe," the gyascutus made its first appearance in American newspapers in the 1840s, and has played a minor role in American folklore since then. In one tale, a pair of the critters clung to each other for support as they wended their way to western territories; in other stories, the lopsided gyascutus would topple off hillsides and be unable to stand up again.
Many of the earliest appearance of the gyacutus (pluralized as gyascutuses, if you ever meet more than one) come in accounts of Yankee con men who go about the South, swindling people through charging admission to a showing of this fabled creature. One of the con men dresses as the beast, and at some point in the show (after having loudly commented on its ferocity) his confederate will burst into the room shouting “Ladies and gentlemen! Take care of yourselves!! The gyascutus is loose!!!”, prompting general mayhem, and an end to the viewing.
Agent—We have, madam, six elephants, but these constitute a comparitively unimportant part of the show.—We have living specimens of bipeds and quadrupeds who tramped over the earth not only in the antedeluvian, but also in the pliocene and post miocene period, embracing the megatherium with six legs and two tails; icthyosarus, with legs and three tails; the gyascutus, with no eyes, two noses, and four tails; the plesiosarus, resembling Satan in shape, which spits fire and breathes sulphurous fumes; the whangdoodle, with one eye and five tails, and many other species too dumerous for enumeration. We also have a pious lawyer.
Old Lady—Well I declare.
— Nebraska Advertiser (Auburn, NE), 6 Jul. 1865
Hapax Legomenon
top 10 words with bizarre meanings hapax legomenon
Definition - a word or form occurring only once in a document or corpus
Although it may seem odd that this term has a plural (hapax legomena), it is not illogical. For there may be multiple hapax legomena in any single work. The word (from the Greek "something said only once") has proven quite useful to biblical scholars and those studying ancient writings. Each hapax legomenon is especially difficult to interpret because contextual clues are, by definition, limited.
Prof. Butler has taken the trouble to hunt out, in the concordances and by considerable personal investigation, the hapax legomena in Shakespeare, and estimates that they foot up to the the astonishing total of about 6500—showing that the great master discarded, after once using, more different words than would fill and enrich the English Bible.
— Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI), 31 Dec. 1879
Mytacism
top 10 words with bizarre meanings mytacism
Definition - excessive or wrong use of the sound of the letter m
We’re not going to say that you cannot apply this word to those people who insist on making some grand exhalation of delight (“MMMMMMmmm!”) every time they take a bite of something tasty, but this is not the use for which the word was initially intended. Roman grammarians seeking to classify vitia ("errors in language") borrowed this term from the Greek mytakismos (my refers to the letter mu).
The ancients' interest in categorizing errors gave modern speech therapists and linguists a few other terms for speech errors: rhotacism ("defective pronunciation of the letter r"); iotacism ("excessive use of the letter I or iota or a too frequent repetition of its sounds"); and the more familiar lisp ("imperfect pronunciation of the sibilants /s/ and /z/").
The general failure to relate mytacism to the discussion of the final -m is an indication and consequence of the fact that its nature is poorly understood. Mytacism involves at least three problems, and at least two of them still lack a credible answer.
— Martti Nyman, Mytacism in Latin Phonology (in Glotta: Zeitschrift fur Griechische und Lateinische Sprache), 1 Jan. 1977
Please Don't Whinge About Being Knackered, You Prat
10 of M-W's favourite British words
Prat
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Although Merriam-Webster is a dictionary of American English, it contains a range of words rarely heard outside Britain. Here are some of our favourites.
Definition - a stupid or foolish person
Prat has been British slang for the sort of person with whom you’d rather not share a long train journey since the middle of the 20th century. Prior to this the word served a number of other useful functions, with such meanings as “the buttocks” and “to nudge or push (as a person) with the buttocks.” A pratfall, now commonly used to mean “a humiliating mishap or blunder,” originally meant “a fall on the buttocks.”
”His father was ailing and Ravel dearly wanted him to see the première.” (Silly prat: did he not know why the father was ailing? Could he not have stopped his febrile pacing and enquired whether there might be any connection between the father’s illness and this opera?)
— Frank Delaney, Punch (London, Eng.), 26 Aug. 1987
Whinge
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Definition - to complain fretfully: whine
Whinge and whine may look like simple variants, but the two words are fairly distinct, with meanings and histories that are independent. Whinge comes from an Old English word, hwinsian, meaning “to wail or moan discontentedly,” whereas whine comes from the Old English hwinan (“to make a humming or whirring sound”). Whinge, in use since the 12th century, has always had a meaning related to complaining; whine, on the other hand, did not begin to have its now-familiar meaning until the 16th century.
O it is a sweet thing ay to be whinging, and crying, and seeking about Christ's Pantry Doors, and to hold ay an Eye upon Christ when he goes into the House of Wine, into His Fathers fair Luckie Wine-Celler where there are many Wines, and bout in at Christ's back.
— Samuel Rutherford, Christs Napkin, 1660
Knackered
top 10 favorite british words vol 1 knackered
Definition - tired, exhausted
As is the case with many of the other Britishisms on this list, the “tired or exhausted” sense of knackered is fairly recent, in use only since the latter portion of the 20th century. The word has been in slang use as a verb, meaning “to kill,” since the 19th century, and is possibly related to an earlier noun form of knacker meaning “horse-slaughterer” or “saddle-maker.”
You’ve got to give others the impression that you’re not really as tired as you are, a bit of kidology—try to maintain form, even maybe smile sometimes, drop your hands down loose as if you’re relaxing—when in actual fact you could be absolutely knackered.
— The Sunday Times (London. Eng.), 22 Mar. 1970
Jiggery-pokery
top 10 favorite british words vol 1 jiggery pokery
Definition - dishonest or suspicious activity; nonsense
The English language has hundreds of reduplicative formations such as jiggery-pokery. A number of these, such as hocus-pocus and flimflam, and claptrap also have meanings related to “nonsense.” Jiggery-pokery comes from the earlier joukery-pawkery; both joukery and pawkery are English regionalisms for “trickery.”
Under other measures the averages could be altered either by intrigue or treachery to suit speculators in foreign grain, but, under the present law, the averages were made up so faithfully and fairly as to prevent any jiggery-pokery of the sort.
— Morning Post (London, Eng.), 22 Dec. 1845
Blimey
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Definition - used to express amazement, surprise, or perplexity
Blimey is labeled chiefly British in our dictionary, which is one way of saying ‘mainly used by the British, but occasionally used jocularly by Americans who put on a bad Cockney accent and pair it with words such as guvnor.’ Blimey is a shortening of Gorblimey, which itself is a euphemism for “God blind me.”
”After a bit, seeing as no one come, I ups with the knocker again to give a fair ole belt wiv it, and—“ he paused while they all leant forward anxiously—“blimey! if a blinkin’ Jack Johnson didn’t blow the ‘ole ‘ouse out of me…”
— The Ottawa Journal (Ottawa, Can.), 5 Jan. 1916
Chunter
top 10 favorite british words vol 1 chunter
Definition - to talk in a low inarticulate way: mutter
Chunter, like bebop and bisbigliando, is a word of imitative origin. In use since the 16th century, it is one of a fine number of synonyms the English language possesses for “mutter.” Should you need additional obscure ways of saying mutter or grumble you may use channer, mammer, or [mussitate]/dictionary/mussitate).
And nanny, notwithstanding her chuntering, as John said, made him a good wife, and he declared that he had never been so happy in his life, for he had no care but to do as Nanny bid him.
— Anne Bowman, Esperanza, or, The Home of the Wanderers, 1855
Twee
top 10 favorite british words vol 1 twee
Definition - affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Twee may look as though it is related to tweet, but the latter word is imitative in origin and the former is thought to be a kind of baby talk variation of sweet. Other English words which probably come from baby-talk are [mama]/dictionary/mama), nanny, and cockyolly bird (a pet name for any small bird).
But in spite of a cast with, on the whole, more spirit than talent, some twee little numbers satirising some twee big numbers, and a nippy tap routine or two, this broadly brushed-in cartoon of the musicals of the thirties was at no point of the compass my noggin of rum.
— Caryl Brahms, The Guardian (London, Eng.), 28 Aug. 1969
Gormless
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Definition - lacking intelligence: stupid
If one can be gormless, does that also mean that one can be gormful? While the temptation is very strong to tell you that you can be anything you want to be if you wish hard enough, we would be doing you a disservice if we said you could be gormful, for we have no record of such a word ever seeing use. Gormless comes from the dialect word gaum, which means “attention” or “understanding.”
Here a pale-faced, heavy-looking boy with long hair, and what is called in the North a “gormless” expression of face, strolled slowly up.
— Chumes: An Illustrated Paper for Boys (London, Eng.), 27 Apr. 1898
Boffin
top 10 favorite british words vol 1 boffin
Definition - a scientific expert and especially one involved in technological research
Boffin is a mysterious word, one which—although it entered common use but recently (around World War II)—has an etymology that is unknown. Although the word’s roots are unclear it does appear to have begun being used largely in reference to scientists in the RAF (Royal Air Force). Shortly after entering common usage boffin began to broaden somewhat, and to be applied next to scientists in general, and thereafter to academics of many varieties.
Sir Henry Tizard, the chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Aircraft Production, had to admit in his speech at yesterday’s lunch of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee that he had failed to discover why the many scientists attached to the R.A.F> were call “Boffins.” One R.A.F. man whom he asked could only reply, “Well, what else could you call them?”
— The Daily Telegraph (London, Eng.), 4 Feb. 1942
Pip-pip
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Definition — used to express farewell
Pip-pip, that particularly cheery of old-fashioned British farewells, is said to have been formed in imitation of the sound made by a car horn. Pip-pip should not be confused with ta-ta, toodle-oo, toodle-pip, or any other largely British modes of saying “good-bye.”
Well, of course, you may say that, having deposited female and suitcase at their destination, old Freddie should have uttered a brief, courteous "Pip-pip!" and legged it.
— P. G. Wodehouse, Fate (in The Most of P. G. Wodehouse), 1960
