In the Christmas Romance thread, I have used some unusal words. I will list them here with links to the thread with their definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition unless otherwise noted.

I do have to apologize though, I did discover two typos and will list them below as well.

girning

1. To complain in a whining voice.
2. To contort one's face; grimace.

gallinaceous

1. Of, belonging to, or characteristic of the order Galliformes, which includes the common domestic fowl as well as the pheasants, turkeys, and grouse.

2. Relating to or resembling the domestic fowl.

gloze

To minimize or underplay; gloss: glozed over the embarrassing part.

roque

A variation of croquet played with short-handled mallets on a hard court that is bounded by a concrete wall against which a ball may rebound and be retrieved.

austiculation

(Sorry, this was a typo) (oops)

auscultation

The act of listening.

nictitating

to wink

bustluscious

having or characterized by shapely mammalia, usually of substantial size; stacked. A pun on "mudluscious" by e.e. cummings. (The Grandiloquent Dictionary by Russell Rocke)

augean

1. Exceedingly filthy from long neglect.

2. Requiring heroic efforts of cleaning or correction: the Augean task of reforming the bureaucracy

macrosmatic

having a supersensitive nose (The Word Lover's Dictionary--Unusual, obscure, and preposterous words by Josefa Heifetz)

guano

1. A substance composed chiefly of the dung of sea birds or bats, accumulated along certain coastal areas or in caves and used as fertilizer.

2. Any of various similar substances, such as a fertilizer prepared from ground fish parts.

gammer

An elderly woman.

ettling (ettle)

to plan, try, aim, design, prepare, suppose (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

pathoctonus

the ebbing of passion; self-restraint (The Word Lover's Dictionary)

beldam

An old woman, especially one who is considered ugly

ecdysiast

A striptease artist

cimmerian

Very dark or gloomy.


(Also Wordcrafter's Word of the Day on Nov. 25th)

quotidian

1.Everyday; commonplace: “There's nothing quite like a real... train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute” (Anita Diamant).

2.Recurring daily. Used especially of attacks of malaria.