I think you always need to start a new year off by learning something new. Here is a trivia puzzle on words – words that are so seldom used, you’ll wonder who invented them and why. Have fun!
1. The practice of writing on one side of the paper is called: Adoxography; anopisthography; bombilate; prosopography.
2. A slightly intoxicated or tipsy state of being is called: Cachinnation; capernoited; gowpen; gambrinois.
3. Farctate means: To heap into a pile; the act of plundering food; making a lot of noise or a loud racket; the state of being stuffed with food.
4. One who fakes a smile, as on television, is called: dentiloquent; eccedentesiast; cruciverbalist; gongoozler.
5. Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian means: Smelling like horse urine; having a nose with a bump in it; having a really fat behind; pertaining to extremely long words.
6. The term for having huge feet is called: sciapodous; abderian; sgiomlaireached; tarantism.
7. If you are ulotrichous, you: have a big belly; sell wood products; have very wooly hair; are short and fat.
8. If you are an ultracrepodarian, you are: an extremely creepy person; one who speaks or offers opinions on matters beyond their knowledge; a filthy, slobbering person; one who eats worms.
9. I’ve had lethologica. By this, I mean I’ve: Had a bad habit or insatiable urge; had a nose with a bump on it; been depressed or in low spirits; had the inability to recall a precise word for something.
10. Last but not least, the word “nudiusterian” means: a person who lives in a nudist colony; a person who hates practicing the piano; pertaining to the day before yesterday; a pedestrian who walks around without shoes.
ANSWERS
1. Anopisthography. Adoxgraphy means skilled writing on an unimportant subject; bombilate means to hum or buzz loudly and continuously; and prosopography is the description of a person’s appearance. 2. Capernoited. Cachinnation is loud or hysterical laughter; gowpen means a double handful, and gambrinois means to be full of beer – something that occurs after capernoited! 3. The state of being stuffed with food. 4. Eccedentesiast. A dentiloquent is someone who talks through their teeth; a cruciverbalist is someone who loves working crossword puzzles, and a gongoozler is an idle spectator. 5. Pertaining to extremely long words. 6. Sciapodous. Abderian means given to incessant or idiotic laughter; sgiomlairached is the habit of dropping in at mealtimes; and tarantism is an urge to overcome melancholy by dancing. 7. If you happen to be ulotrichous, you may look like a buffalo or Sasquatch because you have very wooly hair. A xylopolist sells wood products. 8. While I wouldn’t necessarily want to be called an ultracrepodarian, it’s not as bad as the word sounds. Ultracrepodarians are people who speak or offer opinions on matters beyond their knowledge. I’m sure I’ve been an ultracrepodarian once or twice in my life. However, I’ve never been a scolecophagous, or a person who eats worms! 9. From time to time, I have suffered with letholigica, or the inability to recall a precise word for something. 10. Although this word sounds like it pertains to a nudist colony or a pedestrian without shoes, it actually simply means pertaining to the day before yesterday.