WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, F-G
Note:
clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes
FabianΉ eponym: of cautious
delaying tactics to wear out an enemy, avoiding decisive battle
Fabian² eponym: of the Fabian
Society, which aimed to reach socialism by non-revolutionary methods
facile easy (but with overtones of being too
easy, too convenient. If you play hooky from work, it's a facile excuse
to claim that your grandmother had died.)
facile princeps easily the first; by far the first; admittedly best
factitious disorder
see Munchausen syndromeo
fag, faggot terms with different meanings in the
faggots in gravy Brit: meatballs (esp. of pig's liver) in gravy (esp. onion gravy). Recipe
Fagin eponym: an adult who instructs others (e.g., children) in crime
Fahrvergnόgen driving pleasure. Used by Volkswagen in an advertising campaign
faience toponym: glazed ceramic ware
faineant deity a god who does not act in human affairs, and hence is
not worshiped
faineant; fainιant noun: an irresponsible idler; a do-nothing. adj.: idle and ineffectual. (fainιance; fainιancy)
fains! Brit. schoolboy slang: a call for a truce; a statement of opposition
fall guy a scapegoat; one who is blamed for the actions of others (also, an easy victim, one who is readily duped)
false dilemma two alternatives set up as if they were the only
options, (e.g., "
Falstaffian eponym: jovial, convivial, roguish, with zest for life
famulus a sorcerer's assistant; also, non-demonically, a private secretary or other close attendant
fangled (as in newfangled) characterized by silly affectations or by peculiar notions
fanny
fardel a bundle or little pack; hence, a burden [Personally, I think of the backpacks in which today's students carry their schoolbooks.]
farrago (also here) a confused mixture
fart-arse Australian slang: screw off, waste time
fascia a flat member of an order or building, like a flat band or broad fillet
fashionista mildly disparaging: an enthusiast for the trends of fashion
fast-break (from basketball): progress so rapid as to be bordering on lack of control (Wordcrafter definition)
fata morgana eponym: a mirage in the literal sense; that is, an optical phenomenon that creates the illusion of water
fatuous silly and pointless (noun: fatuity)
Faustian eponym: of a "deal with the Devil": sacrificing moral values for power, knowledge, or wealth
fauteuil an upholstered armchair, usually with open sides
favonian eponym: mild; benign
feague (of a horse) to put ginger up a horse's rear end, to make him lively and carry his tail well
featherbedding the practice of forcing the employer (by union rule, etc.) to hire more workers than needed (or to limit his workers' production)
featherpated feather-headed; frivolous
fecundate to make fruitful or productive
fedora eponym: a soft felt hat with a curled brim and the crown creased lengthways
Feierabend German: festive frame of mind at the end of the working day
feinghee a European (term used in
feline like a cat
felting (knitting) washing a knit fabric, in order to shrink it and cause it to and loses its stitch definition
female (etymology) not from 'male'. Latin femina = woman became Old French femelle. The middle e in femelle then changed to an a, making femalle, on the mistaken assumption that it was parallel to 'male'.
femme fatale 1. a seductive woman who lures men into dangerous or compromising situations 2. an alluring, mysterious woman of charm and mystery
ferromagnetic having strong, persistent magnetism of the
kind possessed by iron., persisting without any external magnetic field (contrast paramagnetic; see Curry point)
ferruginous the reddish-brown color of iron
rust
ferrule a metal ring or cap around a pole or shaft, to reinforce or to prevent splitting (as on the end of an umbrella)
fesse heraldry: a horizontal band across the middle of an escutcheon. fesse point (fess? point): the exact center of an escutcheon
Festschrift a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar
festucine straw-yellow. from Latin festuca = "stalk," or
"straw". (Confusion amid the dictionaries. Webster's defines
festucine as "straw-colored; greenish-yellow", which is
contradictory: straw is not greenish. OED says only "straw-colored",
which begs the question: What color is that?)
fκte noun: a celebration or festival; verb: to honor or entertain lavishly
fettle (as in fine fettle) condition or state [from the verb fettle, "to make ready, arrange"]
feuilleton 1. a part of a newspaper to entertain the general reader; an item printed there 2. a novel printed in installments (also roman feuilleton)
fiacre a small horse-drawn carriage
fiduciary law: who is required to act for the benefit of another, who owes duties of good faith, trust, confidence and candor (e.g, a trustee)
fiesty aggressive, excitable, touchy
fifth column a clandestine subversive organization; an enemy in your midst
figh in Islam, jurisprudence based on theology
filbert often thought of as the hazelnut. More exactly, hazelnuts are the new world species, and filberts and cobnuts are their much-smaller old-world cousins
filemot the yellowish brown color of a faded leaf. (The word, which has many variant spellings, is an anglicized and corrupted version of feuillemorte, literally "dead leaf" in French. )
filibuster a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches
finial the ornamental piece that screws into the top of a lamp, holding the shade in place
finjan a small handleless coffee cup (see zarf)
fink to tell on someone; to inform on
fisselig German: flustered into incompetence because a critical person is watching
fissile able to undergo nuclear fission [So say the dictionaries, but I suggest it means able to undergo explosive nuclear fission.]
fizzle (interesting etymology; see Archives)
fjord a long, narrow arm of the sea, running up between high banks or cliffs. Glacially eroded.
flam drumming: a quiet "grace" note on one hand followed by a
louder "primary" stroke on the opposite hand. the two notes are
played almost simultaneously, and are intended to sound like a single,
'broader' note. One of the 26 rudiments of drumming.
flamfloo a gaudily dressed female, one whose chief pleasure consists of
dress [obsolete; from The Word
Museum by J. Kacirk]
flaneur (fem. flaneuse) an aimless idler; a loafer. flβnerie: the occupation (or lack thereof)
flapdoodle foolish talk; nonsense
flash fiction a short-short (or an even more tightly compressed story)
Flavism excess yellow pigment; same as xanthism (per the web)
fleer to laugh in a disrespectful or jeering way
fletcher one who makes arrows
Fletcherize eponym: to masticate [chew] one's food slowly and thoroughly [Fletcherism said practice]
flibbertigibbet a frivolous and restless person, silly and flighty, scatterbrained or constantly talking
flippant not showing the proper seriousness or respect
floccinaucinihilipilification an estimation of something as worthless (the longest word in the first edition of the OED) (floccinaucical = inconsiderable; floccinaucicity = a matter of small consequence)
flocculate (trans. & intrans.) to form (or form into) clumps or tufts
flocculent fluffy, like tufts of wool
flokati a Greek hand-woven shaggy woolen rug
floriated decorated or adorned with floral ornaments
florilegium (pl. florilegia) a collection of excerpts from written texts, especially works of literature
flounder to struggle clumsily (contrast founder)
flubdub pretentious nonsense; bunkum; bombast
fluke 1. each of the two lobes on a whale's tail 2. certain parasitic flatworms (called trematodes) that attach to their host with suckers 3. the triangular plate at the end of each arm of an anchor.
flummadiddle U.S. 1. a dessert, consisting of a baked
mash of stale bread, pork fat, molasses, cinnamon and allspice 2. slang:
nonsense, humbug; also, something
trivial or ridiculous
flummox to confuse, perplex, bewilder
fluvial pertaining to rivers
flyter obs. one who scolds; a scold.
FO (knitting) finished object (celebrated with great glee; contrast UFO unfinished object)
foible a minor weakness or failing of character
foison plenty; abundance; rich harvest
foley eponym: during filmmaking, the adding of sound effects
folie ΰ deux delusion or mental illness shared by two people in close association (siblings, spouses; etc.); shared madness
fontange (etymology) a commode
foofaraw frills and flashy finery. also, to-do over a trifle; a fuss
fool a traditional English sweet dish, a kind of fruit puree.
footy Australian slang: a football, or a game of football
forepleasure expanded concept of foreplay, not limited to physical contacts; includes, e.g., just quietly enjoying togetherness
forfend to prohibit or ward off
formel obs: a female eagle or hawk
formication the feeling of ants or other insects crawling over one's skin
forte something in which a person excels
fortnight a fourteen-day period
forty winks (or 40 winks) a short sleep (usually not in bed)
foudroyant of dazzling or stunning effect
founder to sink, collapse, or fail completely (contrast flounder)
four hundred [alphabetized here, but usually expressed as the 400] the highest society of a locality
fourberie trickery or deception
four-flusher a fake; a humbug; a pretender (to four-flush: to bluff)
fourth estate journalists considered as a group; the public press
fourth wall see breaking the fourth wall
fox (verb) to make (beer) sour by fermenting
fractal adj characterized by having small parts that are miniature replicas of larger parts; similar, to itself, at different scales. noun a fractal figure or picture
fractious (also here) 1. unruly; tending to make trouble 2. quarrelsome; irritable
frag; fragging to wound or kill a fellow soldier by a grenade or similar explosive. from frag, slang for fragmentation grenade
franc-tireur a sniper or sharpshooter, working outside the regular army
franger Australian slang: condom
frangipani eponym: pastry cream filling, almond-flavored; also, perfume of the frangipani shrub
Frankenstein eponym: a monstrous creation; esp. one that ruins its originator
frankincense and myrrh each an aromatic gum resin, used in perfumes and as incense
franklin a landowner of free but not
noble birth (14th and 15th cent.
fraught causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension [fraught with filled with a specified element, as fraught with danger]
French
fried potatoes not named for
French leave ducking out of a party without saying goodbye to the hostess (or going AWOL in the military)
French letter a condom
frenetic frenzied; fast and energetic in a wild and uncontrolled way
frenum a connecting membrane supporting or restraining a body part, such as the frenum of the tongue
fress to eat a great deal (also, to eat quickly noisily). noun form: fresser
Freudian slip eponym: a slip of the tongue that reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind
fribbler a trifler [obsolete; from The Word Museum by J. Kacirk]
fricative noun/adj: of speech sounds of air forced through a constricted passage (as 'f', 's', 'z', or `th')
fricatrice a lewd woman; a harlot
frick and frack eponym: a closely linked or inseparable pair
fright wig a wig with long frizzy hair standing up
fringillaceous like a finch
frisson a sudden thrill of fear, or other excitement [from French for 'shiver']
frizzle to fry until crisp and curled, as bacon. (noun: a crisp curl, as hair). also: rain in a frozen drizzle
frogging (knitting) drastic un-knitting, when you have made a very big mistake and need to rip out most or all of the garment [This term comes from having to say Rip it! Rip it!]
frogmarch to force (someone) to walk forward by pinning their arms from behind
front runner the contestant in the lead in a race or other competition
frontlist [usage ambiguous] publisher's list of new or current titles, or of those being pushed as potential blockbusters
fronton a building where pelota (jai alai) is played
frore (archaic) extremely cold; frosty
frottage 1. art: the technique of creating a design by rubbing soft charcoal, over paper which has been placed over an uneven surface 2. life: the practice of rubbing against a clothed person for (ahem) gratification, as in a crowd
frou-frou fussy or showy dress or ornamentation
fruits (various exotic fruits) cherimoya (custard apple); cloudberries; coquito nut (baby coconut); dragon fruit; durian; kiwano; loquat; lotus fruit; lychee; mangosteen; quince; passion fruit; pluot (plum/apricot cross); starfruit; ugli fruit (seville orange/grapefruit/tangerine cross)
frutescent 1. shrubby (says AHD) 2. imperfectly shrubby or somewhat shrubby (says Web. Unabridged)
fubar see snafu
fubb see snafu
fubsy plump and squat (see fussock)
fucha using company time and resources for your own ends [a foreign word,
Polish, that appeared on our board]
fucitol a felicitously-named alcohol
derived from the sugar fucose, which comes from the seaweed Fucus
vesiculosis. Apparently several articles, about a kinase enzyme which acts on
fucose, were authored by Japanese scientists and until 1997 no one noticed
the problem arising when "fucose kinase" is abbreviated as 'fuc-K'.
fuggles a variety of English hop
fugly f-ing ugly
fugue [Latin fuga flight] psychiatry: a pathological amnesiac condition; "a flight from one's own identity" (OED): one is aware of one's acts, but cannot recollect them after returning to a normal state. Loss of awareness of ones identity, often with flight from ones usual environment. (Usually from severe mental stress; may persist for as long as several months)
fujigmo see snafu
fulgurate to flash, like lightning (see fuliginous)
fulgurous (lit. or fig.) flashing like lightning [conveys impressiveness] [also fulgurant; fulgorous]
fuliginous sooty or of soot [a word little used since Henry James] (see fulgurate)
full-court press an aggressive, no-holds-barred, all-out effort
fullerene a class of molecules with carbon atoms arranged as in a soccer ball: pentagons and hexagons (each with carbon atoms at all points) form a sphere or other hollow shape.
fulminate 1. to express vehement protest. 2. to explode violently or flash like lightning. 3. (of a disease) to develop suddenly and severely
fulsome [two contradictory meanings] 1. excessively complimentary or flattering [uncomplimentary] 2. generous in amount, extent, or spirit [complimentary]
fumarole a hole in a volcanic area from which hot smoke and gases escape (see link)
fumtu see snafu
fungible interchangeable; more exactly, considered the equivalent, as a dollar bill is equivalent to any other dollar bill
funistrada non-dictionary "word" a nonsense food name created for a 1974 preference survey, along with 375 real foods, to use as a control to see if those taking the poll were paying attention. Funistrada was rather well liked (better than buttered ermal or to braised trake): the survey-respondents rated it above eggplant, instant coffee, apricot pie, harvard beets, canned lima beans, grilled bologna, and cranberry juice.
furbelow 1. a ruffle or flounce on a garment 2. usually plural: a piece of showy ornamentation
furfuration the shedding of dandruff
furphy eponym;Austral. informal: a far-fetched rumor [Wordcrafter: I would say "a latrine rumor"]
fuselage the main body of an aircraft
fushion Scots dialect: spirit, energy, gumption or (in referring to food) wholesomeness
fussbudget a person who fusses over trifles
fussock a large, fat woman (see fubsy; gaucy; porknell; pursy; blowmaunger; pinguescence)
fustianΉ,² noun; also used as adj.: 1. a strong cotton fabric, thick and twilled; includes courduroy. 2. bombast; inflated, pompous language
fustilugs obsolete dialect: a gross, fat, unwieldy person, esp. a woman
fusty old-fashioned; also, smelling damp or stuffy; musty
fuzzy logic a multi-valued logic developed to deal with imprecise or vague data
gabion riprap [i.e., loose stone] enclosed in a mesh cage, for modular use to hold a riverbank, a retaining wall, etc. (see illustration #1 and illustation#2). This use of "gabion" has not yet entered the dictionaries.
gaffer 1. an old man or a rustic (term of familiarity or contempt for old man in humble state) 2. a boss or foreman
gaffing slang: swindling; rigging so as to cheat (Note: has been used in major press to mean "making a major blunder": his diplomatic gaffing also has gotten him into trouble.)
gaggle a flock (of geese); also derisively, a company (of women)
gain (obsolete adjective) straight; direct (as in roads); see gainly
gainly graceful, tactful (of conduct); or:
graceful, shapely (of bodily form or movement)
From gain (obsolete adjective) straight; direct (as in roads).
It survives in the negative term ungainly clumsy;
awkward.
galimatias confused language, meaningless talk, nonsense; hence also, a mixture, medley
gall 1. to scoff, jeer 2. to fret, vex: to be galled by sarcasm 3. to injure, harass, annoy ['gall' has further meanings as well.]
gallimaufry an absurd medley; a hodgepodge
gallinaceous of or like chickens, pheasants, turkeys, and grouse; also, of or like domestic fowl
gallium (etymology; eponym) one of the chemical elements; its melting-point is so low that it will melt on a warm day, or even when held in the hand
gallligaskins loose trousers
galoopus bird mythical bird of southwest
galumph to move in a clumsy, ponderous, or noisy manner [in 1st quote, a noun]
galvanize eponym: stimulate to action, as if by electric shock
gambado a capering, leaping or gamboling movement
gambit 1. an action or remark calculated to gain an advantage; a maneuver or ploy 2. a remark made to open a conversation [term evolved from the game of chess]
gamboge a strong yellow color (some say strong reddish yellow)
gambol (also here) to dance and skip about in play; to frolic.
gambrinous full of beer
game plan a strategy for achieving an objective (from
gamelan traditional instrumental ensemble in Java and
gamin; gamine 1. a street urchin [boy gamin; girl gamine], typically clever and roguish 2. either 'gamine' or 'gamine': a playfully mischievous girl or woman of impish appeal
gammer an elderly woman
gammerstang a tall, awkward woman. (Sometimes you'll find this lovely word defined with further shades of meaning, such as "with bad manners" or "with bad morals".)
gamp eponym; chiefly British: a large baggy umbrella (some sources add also: a midwife)
ganache a rich icing of melted chocolate and whipping cream, heated and stirred together
gandermooner a husband who strays each month, during the "time of month" when his wife is "unavailable" [Wordcrafter note: the dictionaries have a different definition for this very-rare word. I think they are mistaken.]
Garand eponym: a semi-automatic
rifle (better known as the M-1) used by
garbology the study of a cultural group by its waste materials
gargantuan eponym: of immense size; gigantic
gargoyle (etymology) gargoyle figures on churches served waterspouts to discharge rainwater. The word gargoyle traces from the same French root as gargle and gurgle.
garibaldi eponym: a type of womans blouse
garrulous [noun form: garrulity] talkative usually in a negative sense of being long and rambling, wordy; or trivial; and tedious, tiresome and annoying
garter stitch (knitting) an certain elementary pattern, producing a rougher fabric, with ridges on both sides
gastromancy divination by the sound of, or marks upon, the belly [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
gastropub a bar where high quality food is served
gauche socially clumsy or tactless (French for 'left', opposite of 'right')
gaucy fat and comely (a compliment and insult rolled into one; see fussock)
gavial a crocodile-like animal of
northern
gazetteer a geographical index or dictionary
gearhead a car enthusiast (per Shorter OED).
M-W says, "a person who engages in technical or technological
pursuits." Wordcrafter agrees with OED adding that 'gearhead' includes a
motorcycle or bicycle enthusiast, and is also being picked up in the computer
industry.)
geekfest a gathering of geeks, especially one devoted to technical discussions
gemel (g pronounced as in gemini) paired or twinned (particularly in heraldry); also, set of cruets for oil and vinegar, fused together, spouts diverging so that either can be poured without the other
geminate consonant a consonant pronounced notably longer than the regular consonant sound. A feature of many languages, though lacking in most (including English)
gemόtlich warm and congenial; pleasant or friendly (noun: gemόtlichkeit warm friendliness; amicability)
genizah a repository for Hebrew documents and sacred books that are no longer in use (e.g. old and worn), but must not be destroyed
Genoa the name, of unclear origin, may be an eponym from the god Janus, who also gave us the January.
genocide a word notable for variations.
Note the confusion of whether it includes targeting a religious group or a
political opposition.
Genocide is the attempt to exterminate:
an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group (AHD); or
a racial, political, or cultural group (Merr.-Webster); or
a national, racial, religious, or ethnic group. (encyclopedia.com); or
a racial, religious, political, or ethnic group. (britanica.com)
This equivocation traces back to the original United
Nations "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide" of December 9, 1948. Genocide as defined there refers to "a
national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such". The UN record
claims that political groups were omitted because one's political affiliation
is "mutable" but that carries no water, for the same could equally
be said of one's religious group. The true reason for the omission is that the
genotype the genetic makeup (contrast phenotype)
geomancy divination by earth [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
geophyte general term for the bulb (corm,
tuber, or rhizome) , etc. from which certain plants grow. A bulb
is layered inside, with a
georgette eponym: a sheer silk clothing fabric with a dull, creped surface.
geotropic growing in response to gravity, as the downward growth of plant roots
gerb a firework that throws out a shower of sparks. [French gerb sheaf of corn (wheat?)]
gerrymander eponym: to divide political unit into voting districts in unnatural and unfair way so as to give one side an advantage; also, a district so created
gestalt an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts
get one's goat to anger; to annoy; to irritate
gezellig (Dutch) cozy, in the sense of being with people; comfortable congeniality; homey, relaxed feeling with people feels a sense of "belonging"
ghee clarified butter
ghetto a part of a city in which a group is isolated (esp. a poor part, with confinement by social, legal, or economic pressure). fig: a similarly isolating situaton (esp. one of poor status or poor opportunity)
ghit google hit
ghost word a non-word that is presented as being a word, in a dictionary or other work on words, due to the author's error
ghrelin a hormone
that stimulates appetite
giaour an infidel; a non-Muslim, esp.
a Christian
gibbet a gallows (technically, of slightly different construction)
gibson girl eponym: idealized 1890s American young woman; also, style of her clothing characterized by high necks, full sleeves, wasp waists
giclιe a high-quality copy of a painting, etc., made by digital scanning and ink-jet printing onto canvas or archival paper
giggle a group of girls or other silly females
GIGO the principle, "Garbage In, Garbage Out". In other words, if the inputs are nonsense, the results will be nonsense.
gillΉ (pronounced jill) a quarter pint
gill² (soft g, as in Jill) a
familiar or contemptuous term applied to a woman; a lass, wench
gillygaloo mythical bird of the remote
forests of
girn to complain in a whining voice; also, to contort one's face; grimace
glabella the space between the eyebrows, just above the nose
glabrous without hair (A reader notes: glabrous means "hairless", "smooth". You wouldn't usually describe someone as glabrous when you mean "without any hair on his head"; you'd use "bald".)
gladiate sword-shaped (see ensiform, xiphoid)
glasnost a Soviet policy permitting open discussion of political and social issues and freer dissemination of news and information (I suggest that the word can be used for a like policy elsewhere.)
glaucous of a pale yellow-green color; of a light bluish gray or bluish white color. Note: obviously, these definitions conflict. See Wordcraft archive for discussion.
gleek to make sport; to gibe; to sneer (noun: a jest or scoff; a trick or deception); also, to spend time idly
glider AHD's definition ("a light engineless aircraft designed to glide after being towed aloft or launched from a catapult") is imprecise, since some gliders are towed behind airplanes. The proper term for this definition is sailplane. Interestingly, though, often news accounts speak of a "motorized glider". It might be more accurate to define sailplane as "an aircraft capable of sustained flight by the use only of rising air currents", even if it also has an engine.
glister an old form of clyster, which see
glitterati highly fashionable celebrities; the smart set
glory colored diffraction rings around the point opposite the sun (anti-solar point); i.e. where the shadow of the observer's head is
glory hole an opening in the wall of a glass furnace, exposing the brilliant white light of the interior
glottal produced in the glottis: the vocal chords and the slit between them
glox the sound of liquids when shaken in a barrel [obsolete; from The Word Museum by J. Kacirk]
gloze to minimize or underplay; gloss: glozed over the embarrassing part
gnomic in the form of short, pithy maxims or aphorisms but with a sense of enigmatic; ambiguous [gnome a pithy saying that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle; an aphorism]
gnomon; gnomen (also here) the piece in a sundial that casts the time-indicating shadow [the relevant edge of that piece is the style]
goatee (etymology) so named for its resemblance to the beard of a goat
gobemouche a silly and credulous person; one who will swallow anything you tell him
gobshite vulgar slang, chiefly Irish: a stupid or incompetent person [a general-purpose insult]
godemiche a dildo
gold star informal: a symbol of recognition for merit or effort; also, the recognition itself
goldbrick a shirker: someone, esp. a soldier, who avoids assigned duties. Can also be used as a verb (also, something that appears valuable but is actually worthless)
golden parachute an employment contract providing that a key executive will be given lucrative severance benefits if the company is taken over
goldilocks eponym: a person with golden hair
Goldilocks economy an economy that is not so overheated that it causes inflation, and not so cool that it causes a recession
goldings a variety of English hop
golem Jewish folklore: an artificially created human, given life by supernatural power
goliath or Goliath eponym: a giant; a person or thing of colossal size or power
golliwog eponym: a grotesque black doll; grotesque person
golum one who is a simpleton; or clumsy, all thumbs; or graceless, tactless; or subnormal
gonfalon a pennant
goody two-shoes eponym: one who is affectedly good and proper, just a bit too good and proper
goofang mythical
goofus bird mythical bird which, wishing to know where it's been, flies backwards. It also prefers to sleep upside down, so it builds its nest upside down, shaped something like an igloo with the hole underneath. No one is sure why the eggs don't fall out. compare goofang, sandhill pearch
Google one story is that the search engine was called
'Googol', but an angel investor made his a check out to 'Google'. The
developers, after some thought, decided to open an account in the name
'Google'. Some google words:
to google
to search on the Google search engine.
googlespeak the lexicon of google terms.
vanity googler one who googles his own
name, to see what others will find when they google him or her, assuming that
he or she rates being googled.
revenge google to diss, online, a former
beau after a relationship gone bad.
ungoogle to try to combat revenge googling.
google bomb to push a web site high in a
list of Google search results, by setting up a large number of pages with
links to that site.
googlewhacking a quirky online word game
using the search engine.
googol the number written as 1 followed by a hundred zeros (also, a very large number or quantity)
googolplex the number written as 1 followed by a googol of zeros
goon [etymology] a thug hired to intimidate or harm opponents, particulary as a strikebreaker; also, a stupid or oafish person [from the Popeye comics?]
goose egg zero, nothing; esp.: a score of zero in a game or contest (Wordcrafter note: I would add that the term, in non-baseball use, implies zero results despite effort.)
Gordian Knot eponym: an intricate problem, usu. one insoluble in its own terms
gorgon eponym: an ugly or repulsive woman
gormless stupid or ineffectual; taken up with frivolous issues
gorp a mixture of high-energy foods, such as nuts and dried fruit, eaten as a snack [origin by acronym for "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts"?]
gosport
toponym; in old
airplanes with front-and-back [tandem]
cockpits) a flexible tube for speaking from front to back cockpit [after Gosport,
a port in southeast
gossamer noun: 1. a film of cobwebs floating in air in calm clear weather; 2. something light, delicate, or insubstantial: the gossamer of youth's dreams. adjective: extremely light, delicate, or tenuous
gossip an interesting etymology. Originally meant 'godparent' (from God, + sibb = 'relative'). From there the term was extended to mean 'familiar acquaintance'; then to 'one engaging in familiar, idle talk'; then to 'trifling talk, groundless rumor'.
gossoon a young boy (Irish; informal)
Gotham a common sobriquet for
gourmandize to overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself
gowithy; gold-withy sheep laurel (kalmia angustifolia), or other similar low shrubs
gowpen a double handful (two hands together, as in the "You're in good hands with Allstate" ad)
graben a rift valley; a depression between geologic faults [German 'trench'] (compare horst)
gracile; gracillent gracefully slender
Gradgrind eponym: one interested only in cold, hard facts
gramercy (interj.; obsolete) used to express 1. thankfulness 2. surprise (as in 'mercy me!"). Various spellings.
grammalogue a word shown as a sign, such as & for "and"
grammaticaster a piddling, petty, pedantic grammarian
Grand Guignol a sensational or horrific dramatic entertainment
grand marnier eponym: an orange-flavored French liqueur
grandfather clock a weight-and-pendulum clock in a tall free-standing wooden case
grandiloquence a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, especially in language
grandstanding performing ostentatiously to impress an audience
granger a farmer
Grangerize eponym: to illustrate (a book) by adding prints, etc., especially ones cut out of other books; to mutilate so a book
granita an Italian dessert made by freezing water, sugar, and a liquid flavoring
grapefruit [bizarre etymology] name is odd (since fruit is in no way grape-like), and may come from slurred speech
graticule a network of fine lines as a measuring scale or to locate objects, as on an oscilloscope screen, or to facilitate re-scaling to another size. (Also, the crosshairs in a rifle scope.) geography: the latitude/longitude grid (would not be used for others, such as a street grid)
gratin the thin crust atop certain cooked foods; also by transfer, the 'upper crust' of society
graupel granular snow pellets; also called soft hail [The 'au' is pronounced like the 'ow' in 'howl'.]
graveolent having a rank smell
gravid pregnant
gravitas a serious or solemn demeanor; weighty dignity; staidness and sobriety
greave [pronounced like grieve]
leg armor worn below the knee
[usually plural, since you have two legs. from Old French for shin]
green
card US, but migrating to the
British Isles: a permit allowing a foreigner to live and work permanently
in the
green manure a cover crop planted in the fall to protect the soil from wind and rain erosion during winter and to enrich the soil when it is plowed under in the spring
greenback a piece of
greenmail (corporate takeovers) the practice of buying enough stock to threaten a hostile takeover, so that the company will pay you a premium price to buy the stock back and get you to go away (also, the money paid to you)
greenroom a waiting room or lounge for the performers, when they are offstage
Greshams law (also here) eponym: the tendency of inferior products or practices to drive out superior ones
gridelin grayish violet
grilse a salmon that has returned to fresh water after a single winter at sea
grimoire a magician's manual for invoking demons, etc.
grimthorpe eponym: to restore an old building badly, with lavish expenditure but without skill, taste or regard to historic character
grinch a spoilsport or killjoy
grobian a slovenly boor; a lout
grog eponym: rum cut with water (leading to groggy)
grok geek-slang: to understand completely (Coined by science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein in his Stranger in a Strange Land)
grommet a reinforced eyelet, as in cloth or leather
gronk lint between the toes [query the accuracy of this]
grouchings beer sediment
ground burst fireworks: a low level burst of a fireworks shell; potentially very dangerous
grounded deeply or strongly founded; firmly fixed or established; resting upon a good basis. Chiefly fig. of immaterial well-, ill-grounded
growler informal: a container, such as a pail or pitcher, that is used for carrying beer
grundyism; Mrs. Grundy eponym: an extremely conventional or priggish person
gruntled pleased, satisfied, contented. [The precise opposite of its original meaning.]
guajira a Cuban
peasant dance [literally, peasant woman]
guano dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas
or in caves, and used as fertilizer; also similar substances, such as
fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts
guardant heraldry: looking out at the viewer full face as opposed to in profile. See rampant, dormant, saliant for other heraldic terms.
guerdon (also here) reward, recompense (noun and verb)
guerilla (etymology) from Sp. for "little war"
guillemets the marks « and »
guilloche an ornament in the form of two or more bands or strings twisted over each other in a continued series, leaving circular openings which are filled with round ornaments
guillotine [eponym] a type of machine for beheading; also, a device (as a paper cutter) of similar action
guinea 1. offensive slang: a person of Italian descent 2. money: the sum of one pound and one shilling
gula the upper part of the throat; the front part of the neck
gulag a forced labor camp or prison, esp. for political dissidents; a similar place or situation of great suffering and hardship
gular pertaining to the throat
gulosity greediness; excessive appetite
gumshoe slang: a detective
gunsel [bizarre etymology] a gunman in the criminal world [from a sly trick that Dashiell Hammett put over on his editor]
Gunter's scale eponym: a wooden rule, marked with scales of trigonometric functions and logarithms, to solve mechanically problems in surveying and navigation
gunwale (pronounced GUN-el] the upper edge or planking of the side of a boat. (to the gunwales informal so as to be almost overflowing)
gustable 1. capable of being tasted 2. pleasant to the taste; toothsome
guttle to eat greedily and voraciously (noun: guttler one who guttles; a glutton)
guyot eponym: a flat-topped submarine mountain
gynander a mannish woman
gynoticolobomassophile a person who enjoys nibbling on the earlobes of women (note: it having been noted that nuchal = 'of the nape of the neck', one of our female members commented that she would love to find a gynonuchalmassophile)
gyromancy divination by circles [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
gyve noun: a shackle or fetter, esp. for the leg. verb: to shackle or fetter
