Today, as we were getting coffee, Shu asked me if I would like a zarf. As I took it, I smiled to myself, thinking that most people wouldn't know what that meant. Similarly, recently Shu mentioned that he did not do a good job shaving his philtrum. Again, I inwardly smiled, wondering how many people would understand him.

What words do you use that others likely wouldn't know...but you just like the words. Zarf and philtrum are each favorite words of ours.

I don't know that I use many "weird" words but others have commented bere about some of the words I do use. I seem to remember:

Hitherto
'bus
Vouchsafe

And I am sure there must be others.

Belottle. It means to overly praise soomeone, as opposed to personally castigating them (belittle).

enphiltrum. To accidently shoot someone in the face with a nail gun between the nose and upper lip.

Oh, my. I thought we'd get some good words here.

Richard, isn't "hitherto" fairly common...just old fashioned? I have to admit that I don't use "vouchsafe."

My dad used to talk about disreputable characters he knew as "ticket of leave men".

He'd also refer to people he was talking to as "me (my) old sixer" though the only references I can find to the phrase seem to be to cars, a subject that held no interest at all for him. He never even learned to drive.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Oh, my. I thought we'd get some good words here.

Richard, isn't "hitherto" fairly common...just old fashioned? I have to admit that I don't use "vouchsafe."

I think hitherto is quite common - but I seem to recall that someone commnented on my use of the word.

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ticket of leave

In that Wikipedia article it said that it was a U.S. term, too. I've never heard it. Have any Americans heard it?

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my old sixer

I looked for it, too, Bob, but I only found references to cars as well. Strange. Maybe he heard it from someone else?

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hitherto

Richard, it's a commonly known word, though considered old-fashioned here in the U.S.

If I may expand on the "ticket of leave"

It officially began in 1853 when prisoners transported from the United Kingdom to Australia, and subsequently other colonies, who had served a period of probation—and shown by their good behaviour that they could be allowed certain freedoms—were awarded the ticket of leave. Once granted, a convict was permitted to seek employment within a specified district

I am not sure what the equivalent is here in the U.S. Maybe parole? Or work release?

Well....not that I use it daily, or even yearly, but one time we we had a conversation where someone asked whether others liked to mow their lawns back and fourth, or in a circular pattern around the yard (or some other pattern). I, thinking I would kind of show off one of the few big words I happened to know, said that I like to mow in a boustrophedonic pattern. No one commented at all, or raised an eyebrow. I think most might have thought I was being silly, or perhaps that they would look it up later.

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I like to mow in a boustrophedonic pattern.

I wondered what a pattern
Ekil kool dluow that sa hcus
But couldn’t quite conceive
Ycneiciffe ro ssentniauq sti fo ro.

I love the word boustrophedonic! It is the way one mows, too, isn't it? I wonder if anyone mows in a circular pattern?

I finally get it about gullible...it's your tagline! Can't believe I am so gullible!

Speaking of cattle, Stihl sells some of their chainsaws under the name, "Farm Boss." I sometimes tape over the second "s" to make it sound more farm-like. Only one farmer has gotten it so far. Nobody names their cows "Bossie" any more, it seems. In factory farms they're all just numbers.

As for words others don't use that I do, osculation is one.

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I finally get it about gullible...it's your tagline! Can't believe I am so gullible!

I reacted when I first saw that line accordingly, with (thinking) "oh it is too", and was prepared to look it up when it hit me it was a kind of joke. I liked it so much I thought it would be a good tag line here. I suspect the only reason you appear so "gullible" compared to a lot of people like me, is that you told everyone that you looked it up.

Anyway, your reaction made my day.

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As for words others don't use that I do, osculation is one.

I hadn't heard that word before, Geoff. I love it. Imagine what you could do with it...

I am glad I made your day, Tom!