Noah, 'arking on about a lot of things

Continuing on from yesterday I have been studying the relevance of old words to modern everyday life.

My Source, the 1866 Websters Dictionary was a pivotal and authoritative work of its era and will have sat on the hardwood shelves of many an educated or well to do family.

It was a great labour and commitment on the part of Noah Webster borne out of an intention back in 1829 to publish a dictionary of the English Language exhibiting the origin, orthography, pronunciation and definition of words.

A high-brow intellectual tome it was also advising on the different pronunciation by different Orthoepists, how to speak the names of classical characters from Greek, Latin and Scripture and a vocabulary of modern geographical names with the emphasis of saying them correctly.

I continue my analysis and interpretation from;

Nectarous (sweet as nectar). Getting double bonus points on my Sainsbury's shopping is what I call nectarous.

Odoriferously (producing odour). We all looked at each other in the confined space of the passenger lift when it became all too evident that someone was odoriferous in a silent but deadly manner.

Pettifog (to do small business). Apparently according to the Government the backbone of the econony in Britain is down to those that pettifog.

Quassation (the art of shaking). Mr Bond, how would you like your Martini? I prefer it quassated and not stirred thank you very much.

Rumple (to make uneven). Left with the fat kids and the lad with the squinting eye we knew that our footie team had been well and truly rumpled.

Septentrional (pertaining to the north). A three wheeler car, fur trimmed jacket, flat cap and a wicker basket full of racing pigeons is just so last years septentrionalism.

Thomsonite (a member of the zeolite family). I was not aware that I had descendants that had come from Zeolitia, must be on my paternal grandmothers side.

Uphers (poles used in scaffolding). Zbigniew and his uphers were first choice in any construction project when it came to high rise work.

Vang (the vangs of a ship are a sort of braces to steady the peak of a gaff). I've got two of these just in case.

Wankle (weak, unstable). A long known about design flaw of a Rotary Engine found in some Mazda Cars.

Xylophone - a musical instrument not evidently in existence in 1866.

Yawl (to cry out). Yawl get the toe end of my boot if you persist in being a nuisance my man.

Zeolite (a family of minerals). Those sending begging letters to the Thomson family either claiming kinship having been  misguided by an ancestry web site or undertaking a speculative venture to get a cheap holiday.