To galumph is to move in a clumsy or loud way. It was coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass. It makes galumphs, galumphing, and galumphed. Sometimes colloquially the word is used as a noun instead of a verb, so someone could be a galumph. Carroll also invented the words chortle and snark. Examples He …
Affluent describes something or someone has having a lot of money. It can also mean something is fluid or flowing in a large quantity, either literally or figuratively. A third definition lists it as a stream. A person who is wealthy is an affluent, and as a group they are affluents. Its derivative is affluently. …
A shutter is a panel attached to a window that can be closed for privacy. Also, it is the part of a camera that opens to expose light to the film. A person can shutter their windows by closing the shutters. To shudder is to shake or quake, usually as a result of fear or disgust. …
Draconian describes something as very strict or harsh. It comes from the Athenian lawmaker Draco, whose laws were extreme. For example, theft carried the death penalty. While it was previously capitalized, because Draco is a name, most do not capitalize it today. It should be noted that draco is also a Latin …
One of the newest words to be included in the Oxford online dictionary, amazeballs is slang for something awesome or particularly fantastic. The term originated in 2003. Users should be cautious as spellcheckers and most professional or academic institutions will still consider this word incorrect. Amazeballs is a derivative of amaze, …
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To begrudge means to envy or to give up reluctantly. In the common phrase, ‘you can’t begrudge someone something’, it can be read as ‘you cannot be reluctant to give someone something.’ Note that it must be used in the negative form for this meaning to be understood. One can be a begrudger. It is also seen …
Chav is actually a term mostly used in British culture and usually refers to a specific stereotype. Yes, the meaning has evolved over time, but we should understand the context and connotations of this term. So, I’ll discuss the definition and the origin of chav. I will also give you …
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Chalk up is an idiom which means to give credit to something or to attain something. It comes from the literal act in the 16th century of writing a debt that was owed to a store in chalk. Usually it is found in the phrase chalk it up to. A chock is a wooden block …
The verb swashbuckle means to perform adventurous acts in a flamboyant manner, usually using a sword. It also means to act as a swashbuckler. It can also be an adjective in the form swashbuckling. One can also be swashbuckled or swashbuckling. History In the 1500s, swash meant to dash or strike violently and a buckler was a shield. So a swashbuckler …
To niggle is to create small but persistent annoyance or discomfort, or to find unimportant faults. It conjugates to niggled, niggles, and niggling. A person can be a niggler. Its adjective form is niggling. As a noun, a niggle, is a tiny complaint or wince of pain, or something similarly small. It is primarily used in this …