Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Direp’tion, n. the art of plundering.
Word in the Wild: After an unknown co-worker stole his lunch out of the communal fridge for the third day running, Amir posted a snarky note demanding the sneak cease all direption.
I’m in favour of a world with a lot less sacking and pillaging, but I think there may still be room for this obsolete word to make a comeback. I, for one, am not above a little direption if it means I can get the first grilled cheese sandwich out of the pan. I guess I’m just plain direptitious.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Chow’ter, v. to grumble like a child or frog.
Word in the Wild: Amitav chowtered at his roommate after she accidentally put his 2014 tax slips through the shredder.
This fun word is obsolete, but let’s not let that stop us from using it anyway. Its etymology is unknown, though chowter is similar to chowre, and chowre may come from the word jower, and both of those words mean much the same thing as chowter. Enlightening, no?
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Via’tic, a. relating to travelling.
Word in the Wild: She’d always been powerless to resist the lure of the faraway. First it was leaving the neighbourhood on her own, then it was biking to the next town over, and now it was the viatic call of a investigative journalism. She just couldn’t hold still.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Salsu’ginous, a. a little saltish.
Word in the Wild: I’d really like to recommend that new restaurant on the corner since the owners are so friendly, but everything I’ve eaten there is so salsuginous I just can’t.
The above meaning of salsuginous is obsolete (and even at its height it was generally used to refer to something brackish), but that’s a shame considering how much extra salt is hanging out in food these days. So let’s run amok and start using it as The Vest-Pocket Dictionary suggests—for anything that’s a bit on the saltish side! I’ll start: “Mmm… I sure could go for some delicious salsuginous potato chips about now.”
The OED shows that this word is still, rarely, in use, but only in one particular botanical context: it’s used to describe plants that grow in soil saturated with salt water.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
I’ve spent the long weekend living it up: I rode my bike up to Kleinburg, checked out the McMichael Collection, ate extremely well, and I’m taking today off work. This is certainly the perfect word to describe my decadent 5-day weekend.
Dap′atical, adj. sumptuous in living.
Word in the Wild: Edgar was trying to pinch his pennies and draw in the purse strings, but could he help it if he liked the finer things? Valet parking, dapatical cuisine, the best vintages…
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
So we’ve made it to the end of the alphabet again, and you now have all the words you’ll need to participate in the Vest-Pocket Challenge! Good luck, fellow verbivores, and have fun!
Zythep’sary, n. a house where malt liquor is brewed.
Word in the Wild: I’m meeting up with Caroline and Saima at a zythepsary in the distillery district that afternoon. If you’re free, you’re welcome to join us.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from here.
Questions and Answers
Cheryl has submitted another great question for us: she’s found the word hesternal in the novel she’s reading and wonders what it means.
Hesternal sounds a little bit like nocturnal or diurnal, but I don’t think I’ve heard this one before. Thankfully the OED has the answer as usual. Hesternal means “of yesterday; of yesterday’s standing or date.”
So, for instance, this morning’s hangover might be from a hesternal party, or your hesternal workout might be the reason you’re sore today.
Hope this answers your question, Cheryl. And thanks for the new word!
Vest-Pocket Vocabulary
Vi’atecture, n. the art of making roads, canals, &c.
Word in the Wild: Although the tour guide kept directing everyone’s attention to the architecture of Amsterdam, Julia, an urban geographer, found the viatecture far more interesting.
You can find a complete listing of the Word Blog’s Vest-Pocket Vocabulary entries and learn more about where they come from
here.
