Category: Word of the Day – C

Word of the Day: CLUNCHFIST

ETYMOLOGY
from clunch (to clench) + fist

EXAMPLE
“…such a quoile with pro and con, such vrging of Ergoes, til they haue gone fro Art togither by the eares, and made their conclusions end with a Clunchfist, right like the old description of Logicke…”

From: Plaine Percevall, the Peace-maker of England:
Being a Reply to Martin Mar-Prelate
By Richard Harvey, 1590

Word of the Day: CLUSTERFIST

ETYMOLOGY
from cluster in sense of lump, clumsy mass + fist

EXAMPLE
“…Saturday Night passed with much Perplexity to the Monks, who were at their Wits Ends, and Lives too (they could not hope better things) about the Charter, which was no where extant but in the Noddles of these Cluster-fists. But Day and Comfort broke out together upon them; suddenly this Overflow of Pride, and Arrogancy abated, their Loftiness fell, and their Bristles were somewhat laid…”

From: The Works of Mr. John Cleveland
By John Cleveland, 1687
The Rustick Rampant, or Rural Anarchy Affronting Monarchy, a1658

Word of the Day: COB-CASTLE

ETYMOLOGY
? from cob (a big man, a great man, a leading man) + castle

EXAMPLE
“…’Twixt the wood and the castle they see at high water
The storm, the place makes it a dangerous matter;
And besides, upon such a steep rock it is founded,
As would break a man’s neck, should he’scape being drowned:
Perhaps though in time one may make them to yield,
But ’tis prettiest Cob-castle e’er I beheld…”

From: Poems on Several Occasions written by Charles Cotton, 1689
A Voyage to Ireland in Burlesque

Word of the Day: CARRIWITCHET

ETYMOLOGY
of unknown origin

EXAMPLE
“…That tells vs of Proiects beyond the Moone, of Golden Mines, of Deuices to make the Thames run on the North side of London (which may very easily be done, by remouing London to the Banke-side) of planting the Ile of Dogs with Whiblins, Corwhichets, Mushromes and Tobacco. Tut I like none of these, Let mee see, as I take it, it is an inuectiue against Coaches, or a proofe or tryall of the Antiquitie of Carts and Coaches…”

From: All the vvorkes of Iohn Taylor the Water-Poet 
By John Taylor, 1623
The VVorld runnes on VVheeles

Word of the Day: COCKLE-BRAINED

ETYMOLOGY
of uncertain origin;
perhaps from cockle (to move or rock unsteadily; to totter or wobble)

EXAMPLE
“…Their bind was just a Scots pint over-head, and a tappit-hen to the bill, and no man ever saw them the waur o’t. It was thae cockle-brained callants of the present day that would be mair owerta’en with a puir quart than douce folk were with a magnum…”

From: St. Ronan’s Well
By Sir Walter Scott, 1823

Word of the Day: CLUMPERTON

ETYMOLOGY
from clump or clumper (a lump, mass);
possibly on model of simpleton

EXAMPLE
“…Thus departinge from thence it chaunced him to stray asyde from his companie, and, fallinge into reasoninge and so to altercation with a stronge stubberne clomperton, he was shrowdlie beaten of him, yeat hee kepte him from beinge hurte of his menne, grauntinge that hee hadd well deserved those stripes…”

From: Polydore Vergil’s English History, c1534
from an early translation preserved among the mss. of the old royal library in the British museum

Word of the Day: CRUENTOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin cruentus (bloody) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Thus a cruell and most cruentous civill war began which lasted neer upon foure yeers without intermission, wherin there happen’d more battailes, sieges and skirmishes, then passed in the Netherlands in fourescore yeers, and herein the Englishmen may be said to get som credit abroad in the world, that they have the same blood running in their veines (though not the same braines in their sculls) which their Ancestors had, who were observed to be the activest peeple in the field, impatient of delay, and most desirous of battaile then any Nation…”

From: A Venice Looking-Glasse
By J.B.C., 1648