WORDCRAFT DICTIONARY, HIJK
Note:
clickable items link to Wordcraft Archives, which may have further notes
haberdasher (formerly, a
dealer in odds and ends)
1.
hαček the inverted caret above consonant, as in č
ň ; also called a caron
hackneyed stale and trite; used so
frequently and indiscriminately that it has lost its freshness and become
commonplace
hadal (as in
"Hades") of ocean depths below 6000 meters
haggis Scottish: a dish made by
boiling sheep's viscera with onions, oatmeal etc. in the sheep's stomach
hagiography a biography of saints; hence: a worshipful or idealizing
biography
hagira an exodus or
departure
Hail Mary pass from
haku a crown made of
fresh flowers
halakah the body of Jewish
law supplementing scriptures
halcyon calm; quiet; peaceful;
undisturbed; happy (often used in the phrase halcyon days). Traces back to
beliefs of the ancient Greeks about the kingfisher bird, halkyo.
halibut (etymology) literally "holy fish"; eaten on holy
days
halitosis coinage: bad breath
hallux the big toe (adj. hallucal of or pertaining to the big toe
hamster wheel a small treadwheel
on which a hamster can run endlessly to get exercise; also fig.,
connoting pointless activity
hands down easy; easily
handsel a gift as a token of good luck,
such as one upon a graduation, new year, wedding or opening-of-business. Also,
the first money taken in at a shop.
hansom a two-wheeled
horse-drawn cab, with the driver seated behind
haole from Hawaiian; sometimes disparaging: a white person
hapax a word that occurs only once in the
written body of a language. (short for hapax legomenon; pl.
hapax legomena) See inkhorn
hapax legomenon a word that occurs
only once in the recorded corpus of a given language, a literature, or an
author
haphephobia fear of being touched
haplography a copyist's
unintentional writing of letter(s) or word(s) once, when they should be
repeated
hardscrabble earning a bare or meager living
with great labor or difficulty
harlequin eponym: a clown-like pattern of brightly diamond shapes; or,
of many colors
harmattan a very dry, dusty winter
wind, blowing from the
harp the metal bar running above and
alongside over the bulb of a lamp, to hold the lampshade
harpy 1. a
grasping, unscrupulous woman 2. a shrewish woman
harridan (also here) a bossy or
belligerent woman, scolding
and vicious; typically an old one
hart a male
haruspex a priest in ancient
hassock originally: a compact tuft especially of
grass or sedge (also known as a tussock); later: a cushion for kneeling, esp.
at church; later: a padded cushion or
low stool that serves as a seat or leg rest
hat trick three goals or
other major achievement by player in a sport; hence occasionally, a
threefold feat in other activities [originally from cricket; common in football
(soccer) and in ice hockey]
haulm a stalk or stem (particularly, those of peas, beans, or
potatoes collectively)
Haussmannize eponym: to open out, widen, and
straighten streets, and generally rebuild, after the fashion in which Haussmann
rebuilt
havelock eponym: a covering on a cap to protect the back of the neck
haver 1. Scottish: to
talk foolishly; babble. 2. British: to act in an indecisive
manner.
haversack a
small, stout bag carried on the back or over the shoulder
haw interjection
and noun: an utterance marking hesitation
hawk (as a verb, to hawk) to clear the throat
noisily (to hawk up to bring (phlegm) up from
the throat)
Hawthorne effect production increased not as a
consequence of actual changes in working conditions introduced by the plant's
management, but because management demonstrated interest in such improvements
haysel haymaking season.
heat island an urban area
where the temperature is consistently higher than in the surrounding region
hebamic see maieutic
hebdomadal weekly; occurring every seven
days
hebetic occurring at puberty (not to be
confused with hebetude)
hebetude mental dullness; lethargy (adj:
hebetudinous; hebate. verb: hebetate to stupefy; to make dull) (not to be confused with
hebetic)
hector eponym: to intimidate by
blustering; to behave like a bully, swagger
hegemony (also here) [accent on either
1st or 2nd syllable] preponderant influence or authority; leadership;
domination (usu. applied to such domination of a state over its
neighbors or allies)
heiligenschein [German for
"holy light] a white halo of diffuse brightness
surrounding the shadow of an object, often a person's head
Heilsgeschichte sacred history, spec. the history of God's saving work among men; history seen as
the working out of God's salvation
heisenbug computer programming (software):
a software bug that disappears or behaves differently when you try to examine
or fix it. For example, the use of a debugger sometimes alters a program's
operating environment significantly, and thus change the bug's behavior.
(contrast Bohr bug, mandelbug, schroedinbug)
helminthology the study of worms, especially intestinal
worms
helpmate (etymology) see link
hem interjection:
a slight half-cough to get attention, warn, or express doubt or hesitation (also
[noun and verb]: the sound itself; to make this sound)
hem and haw (alternate forms are
~ and hawk; ~ and ha; and hum and ~)
1. to make an inarticulate murmur in a pause of speaking, from
hesitation, embarrassment, etc.
2. to repeatedly pause or digress in order to evade saying something
directly; or, to repeatedly delay and discuss to avoid acting
hemisemidemiquaver
see quaver
hemocyanin a bluish,
copper-containing protein with an oxygen-carrying function similar to that of
hemoglobin
herculean eponym: of extraordinary power, size, or difficulty
heretic (etymology) ult. from Gk. hairetikos
"able to choose." At least one source says it originally referred to
early Christians who, when the Gospels were first compiled, chose not to
abandon other accounts of Jesus.
hermaphrodite eponym: a plant or animal
having both male and female reproductive organs naturally [e.g., earthworm]
or by anomaly [e.g., human]; generalized, something that is a
combination of disparate or contradictory elements.
hermetic eponym: recondite. Also: [from belief he invented a magic
seal] airtight, or impervious to external influence
herpetologist a zoologist who deals with
reptiles and amphibians
hesternal pertaining to yesterday
heterodyne to combine (radio
waves) to produce a new frequency equal to the sum or difference of the two
heterological (of a word) self non-descriptive; e.g., 'long'
is not a long word. (contrast autological)
heteronym words with the same spelling as another but different
sound and meaning (e.g., august/August; to bow low vs. a bow
tie). [compare homonym, homograph]
heyday the period of ones greatest success, activity, or
vigor. [alteration of heyda, exclamation of playfulness or surprise,
(like hurrah), apparently an extended form of interjection hey]
hibernal characteristic of or relating to
winter
higgledy-piggledy
in utter disorder or confusion
high jinks boisterous fun
hight named; called
hind a female
hinny cross between a stallion and a
jenny-ass (contrast mule: the cross between a jackass
[male] and a mare [female])
hippodrome an arena for horse shows. (slang:
a fraudulent contest with a predetermined winner)
hippopotamus (etymology) from Greek for "horse of the river"
hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian extremely sesquipedalian (q.v.)
hiragana a set of symbols used in writing Japanese
hircine smelling like a
goat
hirrient of a sound: heavily trilling
hirsute covered with
abundant hair
historiography the study of writings and
interpretations of history.
histrionic (also here)
theatrical in style; 'stagey'; hence histrionics
exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for manipulative effect
hite see squeans
hoar 1. adj.:
grey or grey-haired, as with age 2. noun: hoarfrost (see below)
hoarfrost (or hoar frost)
a grayish-white feathery or fernlike deposit of frost
hoary 1. hoar
(sense 1; adjective); grey 2. extremely old, and trite
hobbledehoy a gawky adolescent boy
Hobson's choice an apparently free choice which
is really not free, because when there is no real alternative
hodag a mythical beast given to
weeping because of its extreme ugliness
hodgepodge (N. Amer.) or
hotchpotch a confused mixture
hogback a long steep hill
or mountain ridge
Hogmanay
hoi polloi the common people generally; the
masses
holey dollar a donut-shaped coin, created in Colonial Australia by
punching out the middle of a spanish dollar coin; the punched-out middle piece
was called the dump (see coins and currency)
homily
1. a talk on a religious
subject, meant to be inspirational rather than giving doctrinal instruction 2. a tedious moralizing talk
hominid modern man, or any other member
(now extinct) of the biological family hominidae. Hominids descend from
the last common ancestor of man and modern apes
homograph word with same spelling as another but with distinct
meaning and history (pine tree; to pine for) [compare homonym,
heteronym]
homonym word with the same sound (regardless of spelling) as
another but with different meanings [compare heteronym, homograph]
homophone word with same sound as another but
with different meaning, origin and sometimes spelling
homorganic used to describe speech sounds that
are formed at the same point in the vocal tract. Examples are the bilabials
"p," "b," "m," and "w," which are all
formed using both lips pushed together.
honeytoken computer
security: a database entry that has no one has any proper reason to use or
access. Hence, any usage signals improper use of the database.
honorificabilitudinitatibus honorableness
hontish dialect: haughty
hooch; hoochinoo eponym: alcoholic liquor, especially inferior or bootleg liquor
hoodwink to take in by deceptive means; deceive.
hooroo Australian slang: goodbye,
see you later
hoover eponym; British: to
clean with a vacuum cleaner
Hooverville eponym: a
shantytown of temporary homes [Areas like this, thrown up at the start of the
Great Depression, were sardonically named after then-president Herbert
Hoover]
Horatio Alger eponym: noun; adj.:
about achieving success through self-reliance and hard work
hork slang: to
gulp down hurriedly; to "snarf"
hormesis an effect where a toxic substance
acts like a stimulant in small doses, but it is an inhibitor in large doses.
hornswoggle to bamboozle; deceive
horripilation bristling of the body hair; goose-bumps. [horripilate to get goose bumps]
horsmandering eponym: the act of a public official
writing a books about his/her experience in office
[Query whether this is validly a
word. From the name of an 18th-century American judge who was one of the
first public servants to use his records of a public experience as the basis of
a full-length book]
horst a block similar to
a grabben (which see), but raised [German 'heap']
hosanna; hosannah (interj.) used to express praise or adoration
to God
hoser Canadian slang: a clumsy,
boorish person, esp. an uncouth, beer-drinking man
hospitalist a doctor who treats patients only in the hospital
hostler; ostler one who tends
horses, especially at an inn
hot dog (etymology) By the 1890's this
food was popular in
hot stove league informal
speculation among devotees of a sport or other narrow activity, during the
activity's off-season, of what the future holds
hotspur eponym: a hot-headed, impetuous man
howff a place of resort; a
refuge, a haunt
hoyden a boisterous or saucy girl
Hoyle
eponym: according to Hoyle =
per the prescribed rules
hubris overbearing pride or presumption
hue (as in hue and cry)
outcry, shouting, clamor, esp. one raised by a multitude in war or the
chase
hugger-mugger 1. secrecy; concealment (adj.:
clandestine) 2. disorderly confusion; muddle (adj.: disorderly;
jumbled). Some sources emphasize one aspect, some the other.
hummer a firework device
that produces a humming sound. It is usually a sealed tube and pierced near
each end on opposite sides, so that the sound is made as the device spins rapidly
in flight
humuhumunukunukuapuaa a small trigger fish; the state fish of
hunky-dory slang or informal:
perfectly satisfactory; fine. Wordcrafter note: This would refer to a
situation, not a thing. Thus you might say, "Nobody's angry; everything's
hunky-dory," but not, "This portrait is a hunky-dory likeness."
hurple [the only word that rhymes with 'purple'] to draw the
limbs closely together, esp. with pain or cold; to cower, crouch, squat; to
shrink, shudder
hushion Scots dialect: a footless stocking (a sort of leg-warmer).
huswife same as etui: a small case, usually
ornamental, for small articles such as needles, toothpicks, etc. [ related to
modern housewife]
huttoning eponym: forcible manipulation of a dislocated, stiff, or
painful joint
hyacinth eponym: a type of flower
hydromancy divination by water [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
hydrophobia fear of water
hydrophobic not mixing with water: hydrophobic
oil droplets in the air. an unfamiliar meaning of a somewhat familiar word
hyperbola a certain curve, opening more
widely than a parabola. hyperbole
(rhetoric) extravagant exaggeration (This book weighs a ton.)
hypercorrection a language misuse
(spelling, pronunciation, grammar) made by analogy to a form that is thought to
be better speaking
hypergamy the tendency for
women to marry "up"
hypergolic igniting or
exploding spontaneously (without external spark) when the components come into
contact [said esp. of rocket fuel]
hypochondria see Munchausen
syndrome
hypocorism a pet name (esp. one with a dimin. suffix); the use of
pet names
hyrax one of a group of small
mammals, herbivores somewhat like woodchucks. Also called coney, dassie
iambic foot (iamb)
the poetry rhythm duh-DUH. Common in Shakespeare. Example: but, SOFT! /
what LIGHT / through YON/der WIN/dow BREAKS?
trochaic foot (trochee) DUH-duh. Example:
LET her / LIVE to / EARN her / DINner /
dactylic foot (dactyl) DUH-duh-duh.
Example: AL-ice in / WON-der-land /
anapestic foot (anapest) duh-duh-DUH.
Example: the asSYR/ian came DOWN / like a WOLF / on the FOLD. vigorous,
galloping; often in poems about horses or war
Icarian eponym: soaring
too high for safety; applying to ambitious or presumptuous acts which end in
failure or ruin
Icarusian eponym: flying too high to be sustained [Not a valid word,
according to OED. see Icarian]
iconic of an icon; that
is, of a pictorial representation
iconoclast who attacks popular beliefs or institutions
icthyomancy divination by fishes [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
idιe fixe an idea that dominates one's
mind; an obsession
idiot (old meaning) a private
person, not holding public office. also
(under a discredited, offense classification:) one incapable of connected
speech or of avoiding the common dangers; needs constant attendance. imbecile can attend to simple wants, avoid ordinary
dangers. moron
can learn a simple trade but requires constant supervision
idiot savant (also here) a mentally handicapped
person who displays brilliance in a specific area, especially one involving
memory [French, 'knowledgeable idiot']
idlepated idle-headed; stupid
idolomancy divination by idols, images, and figures [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
if-by-whiskey speech
southern
iff if and only if
ignoramus eponym: an utterly ignorant person; a dunce (some sources add the
concept of posturing: "a vain pretender to knowledge") [from the
title role of George Ruggle's 1615 play satirizing the ignorance of common
lawyers.]
ilk sort, kind. also of that ilk the estate name being the same as
the family surname
illegal combatant
(or unlawful combatant) a combatant
who, if captured, would not meet the standards of a prisoner of war [precise
meaning is much misunderstood in dictionaries and the press]
illuminate to add embellishments and
paintings (to medieval manuscripts)
illuminati people claiming to possess special
enlightenment or knowledge.
ilunga (foreign) a person who is
ready to forgive any abuse for the first time; to tolerate it a second time;
but never a third time. [from Tshiluba, a Bantu language spoken in
south-eastern
imaginist one who lives in a
world created by his or her active imagination
imbecile see idiot
imbricate see tunic
imbue to inspire or influence
thoroughly; pervade (also, to stain or dye deeply)
imbulbiate to defecate in one's pants
immaculate
1. perfectly clean,
neat, or tidy 2. free from flaw or mistake 3.
pure; unstained; without sin]
immerd to cover with excrement
immobilism extreme political
resistance to change
immure to entomb in a
wall, or to similarly confine or imprison [from Latin murus wall]
imparlibidinous pertaining to inequality of
desire between two people
impasto laying on paint thickly so that
it stands out from a surface
impignorate to
mortgage, pledge or pawn (also adjective)
importunate (also here) pesteringly urgent and overly
pressing in request (as a pushy beggar) [importune
to harass with persistent requests (also; to offer ones services as a
prostitute)]
imprimatur official approval;
sanction
in camera 1. in
secret; privately 2. law: in private with a judge rather than in
open court
in extremis at the point of death
in flagrante delicto
caught red-handed, in the act of committing a misdeed. (also, caught
in the midst of sex). Latin for "while the crime is blazing".
Frequently applied to embarrassing but non-criminal situations.
inamorata; inamorato (fem. & masc.) the
one with whom one is in love or in an intimate relationship
incarnadine 1. fleshy pink color 2. blood-red. (An
odd word, with two inconsistent meanings. Apparently Shakespeare incorrectly
used it [in Macbeth] to mean blood-red, and the usage caught on.)
incarnate in the flesh; in human form; also,
to realize in action or fact; as actualize; community that incarnates its
founders' ideals
incommensurable without a common measure on
which to compare; "like apples and oranges" (different concept from
with commensal, commensurate)
incubus 1. an evil spirit
supposed who has sex with women as they sleep. (see succubus) 2. a
nightmare; an oppressive or nightmarish burden.
incumbent lying upon something else: incumbent rock strata
incunabula books printed before
1501; also, the very earlier products of any art
incus the flattened,
anvil-shaped top of a thundercloud (also, a certain bone within the ear)
[pl. incudes. From L. for 'anvil']
indict to accuse of a crime or other
offense (see indite)
indite to write down; describe (see indict)
indri [bizarre etymology] the largest
of the lemurs; severely endangered. [native phrase meaning "There it
is!"; misunderstood by explorer]
induction (also here) logic: inferring a general law or
principle from the particular instances observed (contrast deduction
reasoning from generalities to particulars) (several
further definitions)
ineffable 1. incapable of being
expressed; indescribable 2. Not to be uttered; taboo
infectivity the proportion of persons exposed to an infectious
agent who become infected by it
infibulation to close off the genitals, typically by stitching, so as to
prevent intercourse
infix an extra consonant that appears in some, but not all,
tenses of an irregular verb
inflammable flammable (not the opposite, as you might think). also
fig.: excitable in temperament
influence; influenza Latin influere "to flow into"
flowed into English by two separate courses. (1) From Old French, influence, an emanation from the stars
(2) From Italian influenza, a disease
caused (it was thought) by the influence of the stars.
infographics visual
representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used
anywhere where information needs to be explained quickly or simply, such as in
signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education
infralapsarian one who holds that Adam and Eve
chose their acts of their own free will
infucation the act of painting or staining,
esp. face-painting. In other words, putting on makeup.
infuse 1. to
pervade; fill 2. to instill (a quality) into 3. to soak (tea,
herbs, etc.) to extract the taste or heal qualities
ingenuous 1. without deviousness 2. without
sophistication or worldliness
inhume to bury [a person] in a grave or
tomb [counterpart of 'exhume']
inkhorn affectedly or ostentatiously learned: inkhorn words (See hapax)
inkhorn term a ridiculously obscure and
erudite-sounding term of foreign origin (typically Latinate or Greek), used in
a pretentious attempt to appear learned. [From the
days of quill pens, which unlike modern pens do not carry their own ink. An
inkhorn was a small vessel for ink fastened to the clothing.]
innervate 1. to
supply with nerves 2. to stimulate (a nerve or body part); contrast enervate
innumerate antonym of numerate (see
archives)
inpainting art
conservation: filling in lost or faded areas, with new paint
insidiate to lie in ambush
(for); to plot (against)
inter alia among other things
interamnian between rivers
interbastation patchwork
intercalary inserted in the calendar [now applied particularly to Feb.
29]; more generally: inserted amid others
intermodal involving the
transfer of goods between two different modes of transport
internaut one skilled in
navigating and using the Internet; ea netizen
interrobang the punctuation mark ?!, used for sentences
such as You did what?!
intestine (adj.) internal
intromission the act of inserting one thing into another; the act of
letting something go in, admitting. Can be specifically used in a sexual sense.
inveigh to attack with harsh criticism
or reproach
inveigle to win over a
person by deceitful coaxing, flattery, allurement (OED) or cajolery (AHD)
inveterate firmly and long established;
deep-rooted; also, persisting in an ingrained habit
invidia (the formal name of one of the
seven deadly sins) envy
invigilator someone who watches examination candidates to prevent
cheating
involucre a series of bracts beneath or around a
flower
IPO Initial Public Offering: a corporation's first offer
to sell stock to the public
ipse dixit an unsupported dogmatic
assertion. broader usage: argument from supposedly conclusive authority,
rather than from reasoned evidence.
ipsedixitism dogmatic assertion
ira belligerence aroused by a real
or supposed wrong (the formal name of one of the seven deadly sins)
Iraqnophobia an unusually strong fear of
irascible (also here) prone to outbursts of
temper; easily angered
irenic promoting peace
irish bull an incongruous statement (as "It was hereditary in his family
to have no children")
iron curtain a barrier that prevents free
communications of ideas and information
irony the humorous or mildly
sarcastic use of words to imply the opposite of what they normally mean
irredentist an advocate of recovering, from
a foreign government, territory
culturally/historically related to one's own nation (irredenta:
such territory)
irrefragable indisputable;
impossible to refute or controvert
irrumatio fellation
isabelline; isabella; isabel a dingy grayish-yellow
color, as of unwashed underwear
isinglassΉ a gelatin obtained
from fish; previously used to clarify wine
isinglass² chiefly US:
mica in thin transparent sheets, a heat-resistant substitute for glass
isobar a line on a
weather map connecting points of equal atmospheric pressure. [isobaric
having equal pressure ]
isogloss the geographical boundary of some linguistic feature
isopiestic noun: an
isobar; adj. having equal pressure; isobaric]
issei first-generation Japanese in the
United States, who immigrated from Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s; nisei second-generation Japanese; i.e, the offspring of
issei; sansei third-generation Japanese (note:
distinct from sensei); yonsei
fourth-generation Japanese; nikkei these four
generations collectively; kibei nisei who returned
to Japan for education.
ithyphallic having the penis
erect (typically applied to statues) (also: lascivious; salacious;
obscene; lewd)
jackalope mythical creature: an antlered
species of rabbit
jackanapes eponym: a silly, conceited person; a ridiculous upstart
jackboot a person who uses
bullying tactics, especially to force compliance. (orig. and also, a
stout military boot that extends above the knee)
Jacky Howe eponym: Australian slang: a
sheepshearer's sleeveless shirt
jactitation boasting,
bragging, ostentatious display (also jactation). jactant boasting, boastful
jaculate to throw out cast or hurl, as a
dart or javelin; to emit [jaculable fit for
throwing]
Jacuzzi (trademark)
eponym: a large bath incorporating
jets of water to massage the body
jadeΉ (etymology) a semiprecious gemstone (either nephrite or
jadeite) or its light green color. (entirely separate from jade²
an inferior or worn-out horse, or a crabby or disreputable woman)
jaegers eponym: woolen underwear; a trade name
(among other unrelated meanings)
jalousie a blind or shutter
made of a row of angled slats (Wordcrafter note: can be adjustable glass slats)
jammy Brit slang: lucky, with overtones of
jealousy; implies that the person did nothing to deserve his/her luck.
janfu see snafu
janissary one of a group of
a highly loyal supporters (Id say it implies a ruthlessness and near-religious
zeal.)
Janus word a word having two opposite meanings (e.g.
'sanction'; 'cleave')
je ne sais quois
something that cannot be adequately described or expressed
jeans toponym: named from a fabric produced in
jeep eponym:
a small, durable, general-purpose motor vehicle [from character in the Popeye
comics]
jehu eponym: a driver, esp.
one who drives furiously
jejune 1. not interesting; dull.
2. lacking maturity; childish.
jennet or jenny-ass
a female donkey (the male is called a ''jackass')
jerboa a small rodent of Africa/Asia; also,
a small marsupial of
jeremiad (also here) eponym: a speech expressing a
bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom
jerkwater (contemptuous)
1. (of a place) remote, small, and insignificant, esp.
"jerkwater town 2.
contemptibly trivial: jerkwater ideas
jerrican; jerry-can
eponym: a flat-sided
five-gallon container, usually metal, for petrol, water, etc.; esp. (military slang): a 5-gallon petrol can
jerry-built erected or assembled in a slapdash,
careless and haphazard fashion
Jerusalem artichoke
'Sunflower' is girasole in Italian. We have corrupted girasole
to
Jesuitical (often lowercase)
practicing casuistry or equivocation; using subtle or oversubtle reasoning;
crafty; sly; intriguing
jeunesse dorιe young people of fashion and
wealth
jezebel eponym: an evil and scheming woman
jiggery-pokery some sources say "underhand
scheming or behavior". Others say it must be dishonesty in words:
"verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some
way".
jihad (also here) 1.
a holy war waged on behalf of Islam 2. (by extension) a crusade
or struggle of religious fervor
jim crow eponym: upholding discrimination against Black people
("Jim Crow laws")
jimson weed (or jimpson weed) toponym: a certain noxious poisonous weed, with rank-smelling
foliage and narcotic/hallucinogenic properties. A corruption of
jingoism eponym: fanatical,
bellicose patriotism
jitney 1. a small motor vehicle (e.g.,
a bus or van) that transports passengers on a route for a small fare. 2.
a nickel
jock an athlete. term from
jocular given to jesting; jocose
jodhpurs toponym (plural noun; picture here):
trousers for horse riding, close-fitting below the knee and with reinforced patches
inside the leg.
joe eponym: Australian
slang: policeman
joey British slang: orig. the
silver Britannia groat, or fourpenny piece; later the silver
threepenny piece
John Bull eponym: personification of
John Hancock (also here) eponym: a person's signature
Johnny Appleseed one
who seeds and spreads something desirable (not listed in dictionaries as a
word) (contrast Typhoid Mary one who, by circumstances, spreads
something undesirable)
Jonah eponym: 1. one who brings
ill-fortune to those around him; a jinx 2. a prophet of doom and gloom
jorum eponym: an
unusually capacious bowl or goblet (Charles E. Funk), or its contents
judas eponym: one who betrays
in the guise of friendship
judas goat an animal [or by extension, a person] used to lead
others to destruction
judas hole a one-way peephole in a door
judenrein 'Cleansed of Jews;' areas where all Jews have been
expelled, deported or killed
juggernaut eponym: a massive inexorable force that crushes everything
in its path
jugulate to cut the throat of; also,
to check or suppress (disease) by extreme measures
juju an object used as a fetish, a
charm
jump
ball (from basketball): an
uncertain situation that could equally go either way; a "toss-up"
jumping Jehosaphat used as a mild expletive (Amer.
juncture (linguistics) the degree of linkage between successive spoken
sounds. Contrast the sounds of [t] and [r] in nitrate, where one flows
tightly into the other, with the sharp boundary between those sounds in
night-rate.
K Street toponym: the political lobbying industry
of
kairos the propitious moment for doing something
KAL
(knitting) Knit ALong a group of knitters chooses the same pattern to knit
simultaneously and share their progress and challenges with one another along
the way, often on a dedicated website for the purpose
kaltabomancy divination by vessels of brass, or other metal [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
kamalayka a shirt
made of seal guts
kame a conical hill of water-rounded sand or small stones, deposited by glacial meltwater [pronounced like came, the past tense of to come.]
kamuro a firework like a
brocade, but leaving longer trails; a sort of "weeping willow" effect
kapnomancy divination by smoke [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
karakul a breed of Central Asian sheep; fur from the pelt of a karakul lamb
karezza coinage: coitus
reservatus; the male refrains from (not merely delays) ejaculation
karoshi death caused by overwork or
job-related exhaustion.
katabasis a retreat, esp.
a military one (contrast anabasis); also:
the decline of a disease
katabatic of or relating to a cold flow of
air traveling downward: a katabatic wind (converse: anabatic)
katoxtromancy divination by looking-glasses [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
katzenjammer a hangover (also, a discordant clamor). From
Katzen = cats + Jammer = distress, wailing
kavir a salt-desert, in
keeper on a belt, the loop through which the excess strap is threaded after
buckling. also called billet
kelt a salmon, etc. in
bad condition after spawning, before returning to the sea
kenning a metaphorical compound expression in
Old English poetry; e.g. oar-steed = ship
kerfuffle Brit. colloquial: fuss, commotion
keromancy divination by the melting of wax [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
kibber (acronym for Keep It Barbershop) a
traditionalist in barbershop-quartet singing; one opposed to changes in the
style
kibei see issei
kickshaw a fancy dish in
cookery; chiefly with contemptuous force: a fancified French 'something', not
one of those good old English dishes. (also:
a gewgaw; an item of bric-a-brac)
killick a small anchor, esp. one of stone
kindle a group of kittens
kinesthesia the sense or
perception that detects ones bodily position, weight, or movement [A similar
term is proprioception,
which stresses such perceptions from stimuli arising within the
body.]
kinnikinnik a mixture of dried leaves, bark
and sometimes tobacco, smoked by certain of the American Indians (the longest
palindromic word in English, but more often spelled kinnikinnick.)
KIP
(knitting) Knit In Public. also a verb, as in, Anyone want to KIP
with me tonight?
kirtle a tunic or coat,
originally a garment reaching to the knees or lower
kismet fate; fortune; destiny
kit a number of things
or persons taken as a whole (esp.
used for clothing).
kit and caboodle a miscellaneous assortment (The usual phrase is whole kit
and caboodle, but the whole is not necessary.)
kith [as in kith and
kin] familiar persons, taken collectively; one's friends, neighbors,
acquaintances
kitsch art or objects characterized by
worthless pretentiousness
kiva an underground or partly
underground chamber in a
kleptocracy a government of widespread
greed and corruption ['government of thieves']
kleromancy divination by lots [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
klieg light
eponym: 1. a powerful carbon-arc lamp, used esp. in
making 2. figuratively: intense and unpleasant scrutiny
kloshar (or klloshar)
(Albanian) tramp, vagrant, homeless person; with the sense of 'loser'
klutz a clod; a clumsy, slow-witted,
graceless person
kneecap (verb) (The dictionaries vary
notably on this one) 1. to attack
someone by shooting in the knee. 2.
to hobble or cripple by ones deliberate action
knell the sound of a
bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral [verb (of a
bell): to ring solemnly]
Knickerbocker eponym: a
New Yorker descended from the early Dutch settlers; or, more broadly, a
New Yorker
knit stitch one of the two basic
stitches in knitting (the other being the purl stitch, which is the opposite of the knit
stitch). For details, see archives.
know-nothing one taking a reactionary political position based on
bigotry, ignorance, and emotion
knurl a small protruding
knob or ridge (also as verb). knurling a
surface of such bumps, to improve grip
kobold German folklore: a
mischievous household elf; also, a gnome that haunts underground places
Korinthenkacker
(core-IN-ten-COCK-er) German: a person overly concerned
with trivial details
koseinomancy divination by sieves [dictionary at mancy
lists 54 form of divination]
kowtow to be excessively
subservient towards someone
K-ration eponym: a
field ration for
Kriegspiel 'war game', played
by moving on a board pieces, flags, etc., representing armed forces
krithomancy divination by corn or grain [dictionary at mancy lists 54 form of divination]
krobylos a tuft of hair on top of one's head
Kulturkampf conflict between
cultures, or between secular and religious authorities
kuru a fatal brain disease, spread by cannibalism
kvass a Russian fermented beverage
similar to beer, made from rye or barley
kvetch a whining complainer, or his
complaint. (verb: to so
complain)
