Michigan giveth, and Michigan taketh away.
Last week, I wrote about how Lake Superior State University wanted to taketh away certain words in their 50th annual List of Banished Words for Mis-Use, Over-Use, and General Uselessness, which included "demure," "perfect," and — thank God — "6-7."
But Wayne State University’s Word Warriors don’t want to waive words, they want to giveth them. This month, they released their 17th annual list of words they would like to rescue from obscurity and bring back into general use.
I’ve been calling it the "Words to Resurrect After Disuse, Underuse, or General Desuetude" in the hopes that it would catch on and serve as a counterpart to LSSU, but right now it’s just the Wayne State Word Warriors.
Whatever.
I had hoped they would send me a Wayne State Word Warriors t-shirt (size XXL), but I don’t do this for glory — or money, come to think of it — so I will "abnegate" it, which is one of this year’s words. That means to renounce or reject something desired or valuable. As in, "Even though it’s only a small token of appreciation, Erik abnegated any idea of a reward."
Still, it’s nice to be a part of a "coterie" of word nerds, sharing our love of language with each other. A "coterie" is a small group of people who share interests or tastes, especially if it excludes other people.
Except our little coterie doesn’t seek to exclude people; we want as many language lovers as we can find, because there aren’t many of us. On the other hand, I’ve read plenty of social media comments to know that there’s a large segment of the population we’re never going to reach
It means a rustling or whispering sound, like leaves blowing in the wind, which is also called susurration. In fact, "susurration" is considered one of the most beautiful-sounding words in the English language. And while I think "psithurism" is a great word, it looks like something 7th graders would giggle at. Look at it again and tell me you don’t see it.
But if I’m wrong, then I will leave with all "fluckadrift."
That’s a word that comes from northern Scotland, and it means moving with excessive speed or urgency. It’s another word that looks inappropriate, which means we should all start using it a lot more often. It’s a noun, but with a little creativity, you can make it a verb, an adjective, or, well, another type of noun.
Teacher #1: "I told that fluckadrifting kid to slow down and quit running."
Teacher #2: "Tell me about it. That’s the 5th time this week that little fluckadrifter zoomed through the halls."
Principal: "Hey, you can’t use language like that around these kids!"
Teacher #1: "Quick, let us 'abscond' with great fluckadrift!"
That’s a good teacher right there, because "abscond" is another Wayne State word, and she just used two of them in a sentence. It means to leave in a hurry and in secret, usually to avoid detection or being arrested. Sure, it doesn’t sound as cool as Steve Miller Band’s "Take the Money and Run," but that’s essentially what it means.
I think a song called "Abscond With Great Fluckadrift" could be a big hit.
"Gudgeon" is another bring-back word. A gudgeon is someone who is easily fooled, or a gullible person. It’s also a small European freshwater fish related to the carp and used for bait by anglers — no fooling — but I’m pretty sure Wayne State wanted to bring back the gullible person definition, although now I’m in the mood for fish.
"Inchoate," pronounced "in-KO-it," means something that has just begun and is not fully formed or developed. As in, "My tradition of writing about the Wayne State Word Warriors is still pretty inchoate."
"Swullocking" needs to come back as well, especially as climate change makes the planet hotter. It means overwhelmingly hot and humid weather, which is something we definitely know about in Florida, even in the "winter." It feels like you’re swimming in the humidity, and it only gets worse above 80 degrees.
On those days, I feel "quanked," which means overpowered by fatigue, exhausted, or having my energy drained right out of me. I can barely move, and I just want to lie down with six fans pointed at me, not moving except to turn over every 30 minutes.
Except the last time I tried that, I got banned from that Lowe's.
Finally, "snoutfair" means having an attractive or pleasing face, whether you’re a man or woman, which does sound like you’re calling that person a pig.
But there’s a little more to this word than meets the eye. According to the Grandiloquent Word Of The Day, a snoutfair is a "person with a pleasing outward appearance, but who may be lacking in character or scruples."
So, if you’re going to call someone a snoutfair, keep a hand on your wallet. Otherwise, they might abscond with it with great fluckadrift.
Photo credit: Tomwsulcer (Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons 1.0)
My new humor novel, Mackinac Island Nation, is finished and available from 4 Horsemen Publications. You can get the ebook and print versions here.