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NOBBLERIZE also NOBBLERISE VERB to drink alcohol, especially in company or as a frequent practice; to drink 'nobblers' ...1847 obs. Aust. sl. ETYMOLOGY from nobbler (n. a small quantity of alcoholic drink) + -ize FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1847 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Yesterday a woman named Maria King alias Sullivan, was brought before the Mayor's Court, charged with having made rather free with the pockets of a man of the name of John Coombes, whilst he was comfortably nobblerizing in the William Tell, on Monday evening..." From: The Port Phillip Gazette Wed 30 June 1847, Page 2 - Domestic Intelligence, "A Light-Fingered Lady"
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PEAGOOSE NOUN a dolt, a fool; a simpleton, a silly fellow ...1606 obs. ETYMOLOGY of uncertain origin; possibly an alteration of peak-goose (n. a dolt, a fool), or humorously from pea (n. a peafowl) + goose (n.) after peacock FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1606 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Your Lordship has the right garbe of an excellent Courtier, respects a Clowne, supple ioynted, courtesies a verie peagoose; tis stiffe ham'd audacity that carries it; get once within their distance, and you are in their bosoms instantly..." From: Monsieur D'Oliue A Comedie, as it vvas sundrie times acted by her Maiesties children at the Blacke-Friers - George Chapman YEVERY ADJ. 1. very hungry; ravenous ...1531 rare Sc. & Eng. dial. 2. greedy, voracious; eager, anxious ...1896 rare Sc. & Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY from yever (adj. greedy, gluttonous, covetous) + -y FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1531 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...satt with litill displeseir, and gif thai wer skalit, vtheris, quhilkis wer moir ȝevery [1821 yevery] and tvme, suld lycht in thair rowmes..." From: The History and Chronicles of Scotland Written in Latin by Hector Boece Translated by John Bellenden MOLESTUOUS ADJ. troublesome, burdensome, annoying; troubled ...a1572 obs. ETYMOLOGY irregularly from classical Latin molestus (troublesome, burdensome, annoying) + -uous FIRST DOCUMENTED USE a1572 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...We acknowledge, O Lord, that afflictions are molestuous, noisome, and hard to be borne with of frail flesh, but Christ Jesus hath suffered heavier torments forus, and we have deserved more than we sustain, who so oft have merited the very hells..." From: The Book of Common Order - John Knox RIPSTAVER NOUN an impressive, exceptional, or first-rate person or thing; something or someone who is exceptionally remarkable in appearance, quality, strength, etc. ...1828 US colloq. ETYMOLOGY from rip (vb. to tear, pull, or cut away from something else forcefully or vigorously) + stave (vb. to break up (a cask) into staves; to break into and let out the contents_ + -er FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1828 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...She beheld him striding down the street, lustily exclaiming to himself, ‘She’s a ripstaver, so help me Davy Rachel!’..." From: The Bower of Taste A Boston magazine edited by Mrs. Katharine A. Ware HOBHOUCHIN also HOBHOWCHIN NOUN an owl ...1682 obs. exc. Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY from hob (n. a variation of the Christian name Robert or Robin, hence formerly a generic name for a rustic, a clown) + houchin (n. an owl) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1682 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...How would you sneak, vile Souls, if at the Barr, My daily sport, you met with horrid Warr? How would you stand a tedious Chanc'ry Hearing, If poor Hobhowchin puts you in this fearing? How would your hearts misgive to bide a Triall, No Friend at Hand, nor in your Purse a Ryall?..." From: Le Lutrin an Heroick Poem - Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux Translated by N.O. FIDFAD ADJ. 1. frivolous, fussy, petty ...1830 2. insignificant; trivial; worthless ...Bk1942 Am. sl. NOUN 1. one who gives fussy attention to trifles; one who is over-nice and particular; a fastidious person ...1754 2. a petty matter of detail, a crotchet, a trifle ...1875 3. a slow pace ...Bk1900 Eng. dial. VERB to go slowly; to waste time; to fuss, to trifle, to potter about ...Bk1875 Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY short for fiddle-faddle (n. adj. & int.) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1754 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The eldest of my cousins is a very jolly free-hearted girl, and so great an enemy to all kinds of form, that you seldom see her with so much as a pin in her gown; while the youngest, who thinks in her heart that her sister is no better than a slattern, runs into the contrary extreme, and is, in everything she does, an absolute fidfad. She takes up almost as much time to put on a gown, as her sister does to dirty one..." From: The World No. 95. Thursday, October 24, 1754 :To Mr. Fitz-Adam." Edited by Edward Moore SECTIUNCLE also SECTIUNCULE NOUN 1. a small section ...1838 rare 2. a small, insignificant religious body; a little or petty sect ...1851 rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin type *sectiuncula, a diminutive of sectiōn-em FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1838 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...I think you will not find the manuscript very difficult to make out, though it is strangely cut in pieces and patched. I have divided it all through into sectiuncules, occupying generally from half a page to a whole one..." From: Memoirs of James Robert Hope-Scott of Abbotsford: With Selections From His Correspondence - Robert Ornsby, 1884 Taken from correspondence by W. E. Gladstone, Esq., M.P. to J. R. Hope, Esq. House of Commons: July 18, 1838 CIRCUMFLORIBUS ADJ. flowery and long-winded, full of elaborate language ...1739 obs. humorous nonce word ETYMOLOGY from Latin circum + flōribus, ablative plural of flōs (flower) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1739 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Everything after him was dull and heavy; much circumfloribus stuff was talked of on the Court side. They might have spared their breath; their convincing argument was in their pockets - not on their tongue..." From: The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs Delany Edited by Augusta Hall GOLCONDA NOUN a place or thing full of riches, or regarded as a source of something fine, precious, or valuable; a source of great wealth; also a fortune of the type represented by the Golconda diamonds ...1833 ETYMOLOGY from Golconda (also Golkonda), a historical region in southern India and its capital city, which was once a major centre for diamond mining and trade; in the late 16th century, the city of Golconda was replaced as the capital by the newly-founded Hyderabad, which continued the diamond trade; Golconda ceased to be the official name of the region in the late 17th century FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1833 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...In the mean time my eyes were directed to every part of the room, which appeared to my ignorance as a golconda of wealth and luxury, There were few things which I had seen before, but I had an innate idea that they were of value..." From: Metropolitan Magazine "Jacob Faithful" - Frederick Marryat ATTEDIATION NOUN the act of wearying or the fact of being wearied ...1485 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from obsolete French attédiation, from attaediāt- from at- = ad- (to) + taedium (weariness) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1485 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...For the moste parte of this book is made to thonour of the frēssh men and for prouffyte of euery man and after the desyre of the reder and herer there shalle be founden in the table all playne the mater of whyche the persone shal haue desyre to here or rede wythoute grete atedyacyon by the playsyr of god to whome I submytte al myn entēte to write no thyng that ought to be blamed ne but that it be to the helthe & sauacion of euery persone..." From: Thystorye and Lyf of the Noble and Crysten Prynce Charles the Grete Kynge of Frauuce - Translated by William Caxton DAY-RED NOUN the red of the break of day; the rosy dawn; daybreak ...c1000 obs. ETYMOLOGY from OED: Apparently cognate with or formed similarly to Middle Dutch dagheraet , dageraet (Dutch dageraad ), Middle Low German dāgerāt , dāgerēt , dāgerōt , Old High German tagarōd , tagarōt , tagarōta , tagarōti (Middle High German tagerāt , (also) tagerōt ) from the Germanic base of day (n.) + a second element of uncertain and disputed origin FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1000 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Þæt leoht ðe we hatað dægered cymð of ðære sunnan þonne heo upweard bið..." From: Ælfric's De Temporibus Anni BIGSIE also BIGSEY, BIGSY ADJ. 1. having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance; arrogant, pretentious, conceited, proud ...1881 Sc. colloq. 2. rather large ...Bk1898 Sc. ETYMOLOGY from big (adj.) + Scots -sie, a suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘somewhat, rather’ FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1881 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...There is a story told of a certain tailor known in his then immediate neighbourhood as a ‘gey bigsie kin' o' bodie’..." From: The Aberdeen Weekly Journal Sept. 1881 SNARLEY-YOW NOUN a discontented, litigious grumbler ...1867 nautical usage ETYMOLOGY from Snarleyyow, the name of the dog in Frederick Marryat's novel. Snarleyyow, or the Dog-Fiend (1837) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1867 - Snarley-yow, a discontented, litigious grumbler. An old guard-ship authority who knows when to play the courtier From: The Sailor’s Word-Book: An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms - William Henry Smyth WORK-BRITTLE ADJ. eager to work, earnest or intent on work, industrious, energetic ...1647 Eng. & Amer. dial. rare ETYMOLOGY either from work (n.) or work (vb.) + a second element of uncertain identity (possibly brittle adj.) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1647 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...She laieth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff Prov. 31.19. But why this? And what need she be so work brittle, being a Queen?..." From: A Commentary or Exposition upon all the Epistles and the Revelation of John the Divine - John Trapp LOBBISH ADJ. characteristic of a 'lob' or rustic; clownish, loutish ...1567 obs. ETYMOLOGY from lob (n. a country bumpkin, a clown, a lout) + -ish FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1567 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...O that we could him finde, We would him make, for feare to quake That loute of lobbishe kinde. My name is lust, & let him truste That I will haue redresse, For thou and I, will make him flie, Mine oulde friende Sturdines..." From: A New and Mery Enterlude, Called the Triall of Treasure newly set foorth, and neuer before this tyme imprinted EXULATE NOUN a person sent into or living in exile; a person compelled or choosing to live in a foreign country or a place not regarded as home ...c1470 obs. VERB to banish, to exile; to go into exile; to be in exile ...1535 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin ex(s)ulātus, past participle of ex(s)ulāre (to be in exile) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1470 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Thre hundreth eke. iii. score and one full clere, The commons rose an hūdreth thousād amoūted Of Kent and Essex, whiche that tyme surmounted The kynges power and all the hie estates, For whiche the lordes fled then as exulates, And lefte the kyng alone [then] in the toure With tharchbyshop of Cauntorbury there so, And the priour to been his gouernoure..." From: The Chronicle of Iohn Hardyng. Containing an Account of Public Transactions from the Earliest Period of English History to the Beginning of the Reign of King Edward the Fourth Together with the Continuation by Richard Grafton - John Hardyng TERGIVERSANT ADJ. tergiversating, shuffling, evasive, shifty ...1710 NOUN one who tergiversates; a turncoat, a renegade ...1833 ETYMOLOGY from Latin tergiversānt-em, present participle of tergiversārī (to turn one's back, to shuffle, to practise evasion) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1710 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...And with this regard the Fourth, not yet reaching the Nature of the Fifth or the Love-Concord, bears a peculiar Analogy to the Case of a Future Bride, but yet under her First Courtship, and at first Opposite Recusant and Tergiversant, till by orderly Process she may become round upon again with full Advantage and be obtain'd with full Consent in Union and Accord of Love..." From: The British Apollo, or, Curious Amusements for the Ingenious, To which are Added the most Material Occurrences Foreign and Domestick. From Wednesday May 3d. to Friday May 5th, 1710. MIMINY-PIMINY ADJ. ridiculously delicate, precise, or affected; finicky, over-refined ...1815 obs. NOUN finicky or affected writing; verbosity, prolixity ...1818 obs. INTERJECTION a meaningless expression used by children in their games ...Bk1886 Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY an alteration of niminy-piminy (adj. mincing, affected), possibly after mim (adj. reserved or restrained in manner or behaviour especially in a contrived or priggish way) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1815 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "..."All the better, child - all the better," replied sir Ferdinand; "it is from the want of plain speaking that vice stalks aboard, and your miminy-piminy fears of hurting the feelings, forsooth, of a fellow who knows himself to be acting like a rascal, which brings half the jobs to Doctors' Commons..." From: Celebrity; or, the Unfortunate Choice. A Novel. - Mrs. Mary Susanna Pilkington OOZLE NOUN 1. a blackbird ...1804 2. the windpipe ...1867 Eng. dial. VERB 1. of smoke: to trickle, to move slowly ...1883 US rare 2. to wheeze ...Bk1905 Eng. dial. 3. to ooze ...Bk1905 Eng. dial. 4. to move slowly or lazily ...1934 Aust. & NZ ETYMOLOGY for vb. - from ooze (vb. to emit or give out slowly or gradually) + -le FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1804 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The Bird soon brought, the Stranger ey'd it, And then exclaim'd, Old Nick betide it; "What have we here? By Heav'ns, a Grouse; "Why, Sir, I would not give a louse, ."For twenty such, and for this reason. "BLACK GAME is now quite out of Season." Quoth Reynard, "'tis a Cock believe me." "A Cock! A Grouse, you can't deceive me;- "A little short-beak'd heath-bred Oozle, "A Cock indeed, - a flat Bamboozle! "To see the diff'rence needs no skill, - "If 'tis a Cock, pray where's his Bill? "His fine long Bill? - Here's no such thing! "So, Master Fox, 'tis all a fling!.." From: Scripscrapologia: Or, Collins's Doggerel Dish of All Sorts. Consisting of Songs Adapted to Familiar Tunes - John Collins The Fox and His Guest |
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