Tag: 1860 – 1869

Word of the Day: BATRACHOPHOBIA

ETYMOLOGY
from batracho- (comb. form) [from Greek βάτραχος (bátrakhos, frog)] + ‑phobia 

EXAMPLE
“…The world looks down upon them, gives them ill names, affects a sort of horror of them, and does its best to kick them out of sight; and the consequence is that the world knows next to nothing about them, and thus misses one of the most marvellous chapters in the whole range of zoological science. The Batrachophobia is at length giving way in one direction, it is true; for the Aquarium, has made it manifest that the Water-Newts, spite of a long-cherished belief to the contrary, are perfectly harmless little creatures…”

From: Links In The Chain;
Or, Popular Chapters On the Curiosities of Animal Life
By George Kearley, 1863
‘The Ancient Order of Batrachians’

PRONUNCIATION
bat-ruh-koh-FOH-bee-uh

Word of the Day: AURICOMOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin auricomus, from auri-, comb. form of aurum (gold) + coma (hair) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Mrs. Poignarde, who was walking beside Saltasche, raised her eyelashes, and timidly looked for a recognition. Mrs. Hepenstall, a very frisky matron, and her friend of the auricomous hair, looked blankest forgetfulness…”

From: Hogan, M.P.: A Novel
By May Laffan Hartley, 1881

Word of the Day: CORYBUNGUS

ETYMOLOGY
? perhaps from bung (the buttocks, the backside [obs.]) + -us (abounding in, full of)

EXAMPLE
“…Sims, after a little unartistic squaring, lunged out awkwardly, and caught Tom on the chest with his left. Tom, who was evidently waiting to find out what his adversary could do, returned smartly on the gob, and in getting back, fell on his corybungus…”

From: Tom Sayers, Sometime Champion of England,
His Life and Pugilistic Career
By Thomas Sayers, 1866
‘Fight between Tom Sayers and George Sims, for £75, on Tuesday, the 28th of February, 1854, at Longreach’

Reverse Dictionary: SOILED DOVE

ETYMOLOGY
from soiled (defiled) + dove (gentle, innocent, or loving woman)

EXAMPLE
“…In “A Daughter of Eve,” Mr. Hain Friswell, who is favourably known as a producer of light literature, introduces, by way of arousing a sensation, a young lady, whom he euphemistically styles “a soiled dove.” It is impossible to regard modern society without acknowledging the abundant existence of such persons…”

From: Dublin University Magazine
A Literary and Political Journal
January to June 1863
‘Modern Novel and Romance’

Word of the Day: NABAL

ETYMOLOGY
from the Hebrew proper name Nabal (a wealthy sheep owner who refused to pay tribute to King David for protecting his flocks),
from nabal (a disgraceful, impious, or villainous person)
from nabal (to be foolish, act foolishly)

EXAMPLE
“…As for those men that resemble the rigorous iudge, that neither feare God, nor good man, that neuer thinke of the saluation of their sinful seduced soules, that either be Athiestes or Libertines or Machiuelians or Spend-thriftes or couetous Nabals or great Gamsters or Luxurious and Riotous persons or seditious and traiterous papists, are no fitte men to bee such a husband as I propose …”

From: A sermon preached at Trafford in Lancashire
By William Massie, 1586

PRONUNCIATION
NAY-buhl

Word of the Day: TALLYDIDDLE

ETYMOLOGY
variant of taradiddle (a trifling falsehood, a petty lie)

EXAMPLE
“…Oh, don’t call them lies, sister; it’s such a strong, ugly word. Please call them tallydiddles, for I don’t believe she meant any harm. Besides – besides – if they should turn out to be truth? Really, sister, that’s the weight on my mind; so many things sounded as if they might be true…”

From: Wives & Daughters
By Elizabeth Gaskell, 1866

Word of the Day: PODGER

ETYMOLOGY
for n. 1. – a variant of pottinger
for n. 2, 3, 4 – from podge (anything short or thick)  + ‑er 

EXAMPLE
“…He cannot deal the knock-me-down blows of Old Brough, and if you watch your opportunity you may give him a podger. I am seldom in a cause of any consequence before him without getting into some squabble with him…”

From: Life of John, Lord Campbell, 1881,
Letter dated 9 March, 1816

Word of the Day: ONOMATOUS

ETYMOLOGY
from Greek ὀνόµατ– ὄνοµα (name) + -ous

PRONUNCIATION
uh-NOM-uh-tuhss

EXAMPLE
“…For our own parts, we will not be forward to remove the disguise, and, indeed, in very many cases we should as a rule prefer the anonymous to the onomatous mode of addressing the public…”

From: The Spectator
A Weekly Review of Politics, Literature, Theology, and Art
Volume the Forty-Second, 1869

Word of the Day: WRITINGER

ETYMOLOGY
from writing (vbl. n.) + -er

EXAMPLE
“…and that of the shape of the x from a form like theMS. & to the modern one, which occurs towards the end of the volume, may help some future and more learned writinger to settle the date more closely than I can…”

From: Bishop Percy’s Folio Manuscript
By F. J. Furnivall (Forewords)
J.W. Hales, 1867