Somehow I came across this Dictionary.com site from 2014 when they asked readers to post their favorite words . I know we've talked about favorite words here before, but it's always fun to read others.
I though it was snallygaster. Didn't I just bring this up recently?
I'm back in Indiana, but sick. Went to the witch doctor and she's sick, as is her staff and the MD who shares the office space. Give me a few days and I'll be back.
Quinion must be a Boston Blue-Blood. Snollygoster sounds high-falootin' to me, and doesn't seem as connected to the original German, "Schnell Geist." Just my opinion, of curse.
I am not sure why snollygoster sounds high-falootin', as compared to snallygaster. Actually, the U.S. Easterners, and our fellow British, probably pronounce it like we'd pronounce snollygoster anyway. Maybe that's why the different spellings?
My favorite is Yiddish spelling. You never know what's right!