When I was visiting my Great Aunt last month in Colorado, I found her old dictionary. It was over seventy years old, and I read and took notes, all the while looking for words that aren't "common". She laughed at me, saying in her whole 90+ years she's never seen anyone sit and read the dictionary.
Tongas Narrows & Ketchikan, Alaska
Deer Mountain
hamshackle (v) -> fasten head of animal to forelockOne of the words I ran into was cyclorama. It's been along time since I've thought about that term. Even though this picture (directly below) isn't a cyclorama, it reminds me of the concept. I took several shots of the Tongass Narrows from atop Deer Mountain on one of my mountain climbing expeditions (as listed on Things I've Done/Haven't Done). Deer Mountain is "easy" to climb for a fit person. I was fine on the way up. On the way back down, I was so hoping that a helicopter would come get me. ;)
hobbly (adj) -> rough, uneven
pot walloper (n) -> a scullion, one who washes pots
potvaliant (adj) -> having false courage stimulated by strong drink
Deer Mountain
That is so awesome. LOL. To think, kids will look back on our dictionaries and go... "bling-bling" what the heck is that? lol
ReplyDeleteI like this word - potvaliant. I used to see this way too much when I would go out drinking with rowdy coworkers...
ReplyDelete:)
OMG. I've never seen or heard any of these words before.
ReplyDeleteAdded you to my blogroll, please add me.
ReplyDeletebeautiful beautiful
ReplyDeleteNice to hear someone else out there actually finds enjoyment in reading the dictionary; it is very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI spent a little time with dictionaries recently because I was working on a short story set in the late 1700s. I kept discovering what I thought was the perfect word for the narrator to use actually was a word that didn't exist until 1850.
ReplyDeleteAnnalee-
ReplyDeletehobbly makes perfect sense because hobble means to walk unevenly or lamely.
-gregg