finnie

A feel with the hand, or ratherly a feel which returns with good tidings to the senses; persons purchasing grain generally estimate the price of it by its finnie, or the way it feels.
- John Mactaggart's Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia, 1824

It's a fine finnie.

with squirrel

Pregnancy is seldom mentioned when both men and women are present.... If no women are about, a hillman may remark to a comparative stranger that his wife is ketched, or...too big for her clothes, or comin' fresh...or with squirrel.... When a man's wife was about to be delivered of a child, a friend said to the husband, "Well, Tom, it looks like your bees are a-swarmin'."
- Vance Randolph's Down in the Holler: A Gallery of Ozark Folk Speech, 1953

I'm speechless. I suppose I should be thankful I live in a more progressive time. I suppose.

"Perils to soul and body accumulate about the great moments of birth, marriage and death. A woman after childbirth is the most dangerous thing on earth; demons are round about her, and if she goes to a river to wash, the fish will all go away.... Until she is churched after the child's birth, and, in the infant's case, until it is baptized, both are specially open to fairy influences."
- Eleanor Hull's Folklore of the British Isles, 1928

Aroo?

unroningness

Desolation.
- Herbert Coleridge's Dictionary of the Oldest Words in the English Language, 1863

squantum

The name of a species of fun known to the Nantucket folks, which is thus described by the New York Mirror: "A party of ladies and gentlemen go to one of the famous watering-places of resort, where they fish, dig clams, talk, laugh, sing, dance, play, bathe, sail, eat and have a general good time.... Care is thrown to the wind, politics discarded, war ignored, pride humbled, stations levelled, wealth scorned, virtue exalted, and this is squantum."
- James Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms, 1877

[The Feast of Squantum]...Held annually on the shore to the east of Neponset Bridge at a rocky point projecting into Boston Bay, about five miles from the city.... Squantum was the name of the last Indian female who resided there, and when the feast is held with the ancient ceremonies a person comes forth dressed as Squantum herself and harangues people in the manner of the Indians. It is a feast of shells, and the refreshments are lobsters, clams, oysters, quahogs, and every fish that is covered with a shell together with the fish soup called chowder. It is common to eat these only with clam shells.
- Richard Thornton's An American Glossary, 1912

Well, now, I worked quite a bit in Cape Cod and never did I hear of Squantum. Relation to Squanto? I suppose they don't celebrate it anymore. Of course, in New England, no one needs a special occasion to dig and eat quahogs, lobstah, or chowdah. Too bad, though, a chance to discard politics, ignore war, humble pride, scorn wealth, and exalt virtue sounds like a good time.

[I totally dig clams, man.]

willy-nilly

According to Webster's Dictionary, this phrase means: 1) by compulsion, without choice; 2) in a haphazard or spontaneous manner. Webster's says it comes from the alteration of will I, nill I.

According to Common Phrases (Murdock and Korach), the phrase comes from a legal writ known as Nolens Volens. Freely translated, this is a writ of "not willing". It was used under common law to take people into custody against their will. It was used so frequently for petty disturbances and minor infractions that they became known as Nilly-Willy Writs. From this nickname came willy-nilly.

peaner

A cold-looking, naked, trembling being, small of size.
- John Mactaggart's Scottish Gallovidian Encyclopedia, 1824

Aroo?

bull's noon

Midnight. The inhabitants of dairy counties can vouch for the propriety of this term. The repose is often broken in the dead of night by the loud bellowing of the lord of the herd who, rising vigorous from his evening rumination... as if it were broad noon, and blores with increased rage and disappointment when he comes to a fence which he cannot break through.
Rev. Robert Forby's Vocabulary of East Anglia, 1830

pumex

Pumice stone of volcanoes; a dentrifice.
- John Coxe's Philadelphia Medical Dictionary, 1817

I'm a volcanologist, and I've never heard this term!

On this date in AD 79, Mt. Vesuvius erupted. It buried Herculaneum and Pompeii and killed thousands of people. Some managed to escape by boat, like Pliny the Younger, who wrote his eyewitness account of the event. Apparently, this eruption occurred on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of subterranean fire. How's that for irony?

The cities were forgotten until 1711. A local farmer, living in a village above what was once Herculaneum, was digging a well and found marble fragments. The excavation eventually discovered a slab in 1760, bearing the name of Pompeii.

The volcanic ash preserved the 2 cities very well, and provided a rare and unique glimpse into history and Roman life.

pubble

Full, plump; usually spoken of corn or fruit, in opposition to fantome, anything fat or distended.
- John Brockett's Glossary of North Country Words, 1825

Just had lunch and I'm feeling rather pubbly....

odditorium

A collection of curiosities.
- Maurice Weseen's A Dictionary of American Slang, 1934

myriameter

In the new system of French measures, the length of ten thousand meters, equal to two mean leagues of the ancient measure.
- Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828

The myriametre [is] equal to nearly six and one-fourth miles.
- Charles Davies's The Metric System, 1871

burning question of the day

Before the days of separation of church and state, a person not professing the religion of the state was guilty of treason by heresy. The penalty for heresy was death by burning.

When people started fighting for religious freedom and separation of church and state, those people were considered guilty of heresy and many were captured and executed by burning. Because so many burnings were taking place, the great debate of the day, that of freedom of worship, was called "the burning question."

Eventually, the writ of "De Heretico Comburendo" (pertaining to the burning of a heretic) was repealed and abolished. Freedom of religion was recognized as a human right. The freedom of open discussion and debate on important issues was also recognized as a human right. These important issues that require such free and open discussion are burning questions of the day.

whiddiful

One who deserves hanging; a scamp, rascal; one who would fill a "widdy," or halter. Also attributively, deserving to be hanged, scampish, rascally; Scotland.
- William Craigie's New English Dictionary, 1928

To cheat the widdie, to escape the gallows, when it has been fully deserved.
- John Jamieson's Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808

scaturigenous

A bounding in springs or fountains.
- Daniel Fenning's Royal English Dictionary, 1775

That bursts out, or runs over, out of which water riseth.
- Thomas Blount's Glossographia, 1656

sockdologer

Webster's says this is American slang, being a corruption of the word doxology. It means something that finishes or ends a matter, as in a heavy blow, a conclusive answer, and the like.

Doxology is a form of praise to God that is intended to be sung or chanted by the choir or congregation. Customarily this comes at the end of the service as a finishing act.

Davy Crockett had this to say in The Bear Hunt (1835): "I gave the fellow a socdolager over his head with the barrel of my gun."

snash

Abuse, impertinence, insolence.
- Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1919

black-jacks

These were old pitchers made of leather, and in some cases lined with metal, for holding beer. They are thought to have been named from the Jack, a horseman's defensive upper garment, quilted and covered with strong leather. The term jack was also used for a coat-of-mail, and out guards to this day, wear "jack-boots." Leathern jacks are used at Christ's Hospital for bringing in the beer, whence it is poured into wooden piggins. Black-jacks are of smaller size.
- John Timbs's Things Not Generally Known, 1859

I should write a book called Things You Would Rather Not Have Known. The follow up will be Things You Never Should Have Known...Ever!

purfled

Short-winded, especially in consequence of being too lusty.
- John Jamieson's Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808

Hmm. If y'all are purfled out there, I don't want to know about it.

oometer

An instrument to measure eggs.

I would have thought it was an instrument for measuring the spectacularness of fireworks. Oh, I guess that would be more like an ooooooometer.

wild train

A railroad train not on the timetables.
- William Craigie and James Hulbert's Dictionary of American English, 1940

ustion

The act of burning; the state of being burnt; [from] Latin ustus, to burn. [Related to] ustorious, having the quality of burning.
- Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850

few broth

I cannot help observing one application of the word few, peculiar to the northern counties, for which there seems to be no justifiable reason....[T]he common people will always say, "Will you have a few broth?" and in commending the broth will add, "They are very good." This is an appropriation so rigidly confined to broth that they do not say a few ale, a few punch, nor a few milk, nor a few of any other liquid. I would rather suppose that they thereby mean, elliptically, a few spoonfuls of broth, for broth cannot be considered as one of those hermaphroditical words which are singular and plural, such as sheep and deer.
- Samuel Pegge's Anecdotes of the English Language, c. 1800

sniggling

A peculiar mode of catching eels in small streams and ponds, described by Izaak Walton.
- Adm. William Smyth's Sailor's Word-book, 1867

Izaak Walton wrote the book The Compleat Angler, or Contemplative Man's Recreation, 1668.

Take a strong, small hook, tied to a string about a yard long, and then into the hole where an eel may hide himself, with a short stick put in a bait leisurely. If within the sight ot it, an eel will bite. Pull him out by degrees.
- Richard Coxe's Pronouncing Dictionary, 1813

stabulation

Act of housing beasts.
- Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850


According to William Henderson's Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England (1879), Kludd was a stable boy's worst nightmare. Kludd is an evil spirit of alarming and dreadful character. Peasants so feared Kludd that they would not venture into a forest, field, or road haunted by him. Kludd often transforms himself into a tree which starts small and then rapidly grows, everything that is shadows is thrown into confusion. He commonly appears as an old, half-starved horse. The grooms and stable boys will mount this horse by mistake instead of their own. "Kludd sets off at full speed, the frightened lad clinging on as best as he may, till they reach water, into which he rushes and laughs wildly, till his victim, sullen and angry, has worked his way to dry land."

That kooky Kludd!

wanion

A misfortune of calamity; a curse, mischief. Chiefly used as an imprecation in the phrases, with a wanion [and] wanions on you.
- Edward Lloyd's Encyclopaedic Dictionary, 1895

A wanion on you, too!

galactophagist

A milk drinker.

Not obsolete, but certainly obscure...

flippercanorious

Elegant.
- Maurice Weseen's A Dictionary of American Slang, 1934

Now that's a mouthful.

burry

Probably rough, boorish, according to Lord Hailes. It might bear this meaning as descriptive of the shaggy appearance of [a] dog, ...from French bourru, flockie, hairie, rugged, [and Old French] bourre, locks of wool. But it seems more naturally to convey the idea of cruelty...from French bourreau, an executioner.
- John Jamieson's Etymological Scottish Dictionary, 1808

Burrie, to push roughly; to crowd confusedly and violently; to overpower.
- Alexander Warrack's Scots Dialect Dictionary, 1911

poetize

To write as a poet.
- John Bullokar's An English Expositor, 1616

nake

To make naked; [1300s-1500s].
- Charles Mackay's Lost Beauties of the English Language, 1874

Nakedize, to go naked.
- Sir James Murray's New English Dictionary, 1908

Do you know why Lady Godiva rode her horse through town all nakedized? She had nagged her husband, Leofric, into agreeing to lower unjust taxes on the local peasants if she rode around naked. Leofric was probably kidding around when he agreed, and was horrified when she went through with it. As a concession, she let Leofric save face by partially concealing her body with her long, luxurious hair. Godiva also requested that the townspeople avert their eyes as she passed. A tailor named Tom refused the request, leading to the birth of the phrase peeping Tom.

riparian

Pertaining to the bank of a river.
- Rev. John Boag's Imperial Lexicon, c. 1850

See, there's a word for everything!