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SLEUTHY ADJ. slothful - a1400 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from sleuth (sloth, laziness [obs.]) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE a1400 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Þat is, him þat he hadde lost he foond erringe in þe wrec∣chidnes of þis liif, and þe which is uggynge for drede and wo, and wast wildirnes for defaute of good teching, not of God, but of sleuþi prestis; for þoru her pride and covetise al þe world is markid in synne and bareyn of gode werkis..." From: Select English Works of John Wyclif - John Wyclif
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DOCEAMUR NOUN sweetheart - c1320 obs. ETYMOLOGY from French douce amour (sweet love) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1320 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The mesager him thankede yerne (eagerly); Hom ayen he gan him terne To Hamtoun; The levedi he fond in hire bour (found in her chamber), And he hire clepede doceamur (called sweetheart) And gan to roun (speak)..." From: Sir Bevis of Hampton GINFUL ADJ. ingenious; crafty, guileful; deceitful, treacherous - c1300 obs. ETYMOLOGY from gin (n. skill, ingenuity; also, cunning, craft [obs.] ) + -ful FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1300 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...And for men weren so alle his : þe lasse of heom he rouȝte, Ne noþing he (the devil) nas ginful : ase þe schrewene nouþe beoth-- for plente nis no deinte : ase we al day i-seot..." From: The Early South-English Legendary Or, Lives of Saints - Edited by Carl Horstmann. 1887 ULTION NOUN vengeance, revenge, avengement - 1575 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin ultiōn-, ultio (vengeance, revenge), from the stem of ulciscī (to avenge) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1575 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Of genesis in the four and threttie Cheptour we reid greit furiositie Of slauchter maid be Leui and Simeon, Becaus Sichem the prince of that countre, Had reft Dina thair sister fair and fre: And hir stuprat, quhairfoir the greit vltioun First come on him and his pepill Ilkone, His kin and freindis, and Father but mercie was put at schort till exterminioun..." From: Ane Treatise Callit the Court of Venus - John Rolland NICEFY VERB to make dainty or delicate; to make respectable or decent - 1611 rare ETYMOLOGY from nice (adj.) + -fy FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1611 - Faire la sadinette To mince it, nicefie it, make it dainty, to be verie squeamish From: A Dictionarie of the French and English Tongues - Randle Cotgrave EXAMPLE "...could lead the sessions a lot better than the instructors because they live it every day. Frankly, those programs are kind of "nicefied". It is the nice side of drug abuse: it is the nice side of alcohol abuse. The people who are attending the program know a lot more about what is really available and how they really work together in combination than many of the people leading the sessions..." From: Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence of the Standing Committee on Justice and Solicitor General (1986) FLAGELLOMANIA NOUN enthusiasm for flogging, whipping, or being whipped - 1895 ETYMOLOGY from flagell- () + -o + -mania; from Latin flagellum (whip, scourge) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1895 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The recent spread of that familiar old neurosis, the flagellation mania, has emboldened certain school authorities to invite the London School Board to join in a deputation to the Home Secretary to procure a return to the flogging system. It did not occur to anyone at first that the present Board, with its sweeping Progressive majority, could give any quarter to this disgraceful proposal. But it appears that Flagellomania has been victorious by seven votes to five on the Industrial Schools Committee..." From: The Daily Chronicle February 24, 1895 WRAXLE VERB to wrestle; to contend, to strive - c1000 obs. exc. Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY Old English wraxlian (to wrestle) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE c1000 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...He ana belaf ðær bæftan: ða wraxlode an engel wið hyne on merigen...." From: Genesis, Exodus, Vtronomiue, Numerus, Leuiticus - Ælfric of Eynsham STROAM also STROME VERB to walk with long strides; also, to wander about idly - 1796 obs. exc. Eng. dial. ETYMOLOGY possibly formed from stroll and roam FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1796 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...At this time a young Ensign, who had been engaged at a late dinner in the neighbourhood, stroamed into the ballroom, with the most visible marks of his unfitness for appearing in it..." From: Camilla: Or A Picture of Youth - Frances (Fanny) Burney DOBEYING NOUN washing clothes, doing laundry - 1929 naval sl. ETYMOLOGY from dhobi (n. a native washerman in India) + -ing from Hindi dhob (washing) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1929 - Dobeying - washing clothes, doing laundry From: Sea Slang. A Dictionary of the Old-timers’ Expressions and Epithets - Frank Charles Bowen EXAMPLE "...Destroyer-men doing their ‘dobeying’ on deck..." From: The Illustrated London News (1940) TOLLY NOUN a candle; a tallow candle - 1890 school sl., now arch. or hist. VERB to work by candle-light after the lights have been extinguished; to 'burn the midnight oil'; chiefly used with 'up' - 1890 Harrow School usage ETYMOLOGY apparently from tallow (n.) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1890 - Tolly (public schools), a candle; from tallow From: A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant - Albert Barrere and Charles Godfrey Leland EXAMPLE "...But at night, just before lights were turned out, or just after, when an Olympian is privileged to work a little longer by the light of the useful "tolly"..." From: The Hill: A Romance of Friendship (1905) - Horace Annesley Vachell MICAWBERISH ADJ. resembling or reminiscent of Micawber; fecklessly optimistic - 1851 ETYMOLOGY from the name of Wilkins Micawber, a character in Charles Dickens's novel David Copperfield (1850), + -ish ; Micawber's unquenchable optimism is characterized by his frequently stated belief that something will ‘turn up' FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1851 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...There were beautiful ring-doves, too - one family group, where, with Micawberish affection, a pair of squab twins, snugly ensconced in an old salt-box, were watched over, their appearance harmoniously rhyming in sentiment as in sound, with loves..." From: Robert Merry's Museum Edited by S.G. Goodrich 'The Hen Convention' CLANCULAR ADJ. secret, private; clandestine, underhand - 1621 obs. ETYMOLOGY from Latin clanculārius (secret), from clanculum (adv.), diminutive of clam (in secret, privately) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1621 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...But experience pronounceth otherwise, that hee can worke both vpon body and minde. Tertullian is of this opinion, that he can cause both sicknesse and health, and that secretly Taurellus adds, by clancular poysons hee can infect the bodies, and hinder the operations of the bowels, though we perceaue it not, closely creeping into them, saith Lipsius, & so crucifie our soules..." From: The Anatomy of Melancholy - Robert Burton GRACIOSITY NOUN a being gracious, a gracious act, graciousness - 1477 rare, chiefly humorous usage ETYMOLOGY originally from Middle French gracieuseté (civility, politeness, good manners), from gracieux (gracious) + -eté (-ty) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1477 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...But Iason neuer thought on none of them but onely vpon the seulle & oultrepassed beaute of the vertuouse Myrro whiche alwaye was in his memorie And alle they had wondre & meruayle of the beaute graciousete wytte & perfeccion of Iason..." From: The History of Jason - Raoul Le Fèvre - Translated by William Caxton HOBBINOL also HOBBINALL, HOBBINOLD, HOBBINOLL, HOBINALL, HOBINOLL, HOBNOL, HOBYNOLL NOUN the name of a shepherd in Edmund Spenser's Shepheardes Calender; hence, a countryman, a rustic, a peasant - 1579 obs. ETYMOLOGY From OED: apparently from Hob, Hobby, or Hobbin, apparently with reference to the sense ‘rustic’ of Hob (n. a rustic, a clown) + noll (n. head, pate, noddle) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1579 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "... It is not Hobbinol, wherefore I plaine, Albee my loue he seeke with dayly suit: His clownish gifts and curtsies I disdaine, His kiddes, his cracknelles, and his early fruit. Ah foolish Hobbinol, thy gyfts bene vayne: Colin them gives to Rosalind againe....." From: The Shepheardes Calender: January - Edmund Spenser SPANIELIZE also SPANIELIZE IT and SPANNIOLIZE, SPANNIOLIZE IT VERB to act like a spaniel; to be submissive or fawning - 1641 rare ETYMOLOGY from spaniel (n.) FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1641 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...To his MistrisseI cannot pray you in a studied stile, Nor speak words distant from my heart a mile; I cannot visit Hide-parke every day, And with a hackney court my time away; I cannot spanniolize it weeke by week, Or waite a moneth to kisse your hand or cheek; If when you'r lov'd you cannot love againe, Why doe but say so, I am out of paine..." From: Wits Recreations. Selected from the Finest Fancies of Moderne Muses - George Herbert, William Marshall (engraver) VOCITATE VERB to name or call - 1653 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin vocitāt-, past participial stem of vocitāre (to refer to by name, to call), FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1653 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...My friend, from whence comest thou now ? the Scholar answered him: From the alme, inclyte and celebrate Academie, which is vocitated Lutetia. What is the meaning of this (said Pantagruel) to one of his men ? It is (answered he) from Paris..." From: The Second Book of the Works of Mr. Francis Rabelais - Translated by Thomas Urquhart FRAMPLER NOUN a rowdy, quarrelsome person; a brawler - 1820 Sc. rare ETYMOLOGY of uncertain origin; ? from frample (to put things in disorder, to rumple, to dishevel) - perhaps an alteration of frumple (to rumple) after fankle + -er FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1820 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Sir Piercie Shafton's colour began to rise--"I marvel," he said, "to hear your reverence talk thus--What! will you, for the imagined death of a rude, low-born frampler and wrangler, venture to impinge upon the liberty of the kinsman of the house of Piercie?.." From: The Monastery: A Romance - Sir Walter Scott PRACTISANT NOUN a schemer; a plotter, a conspirator - 1550 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY apparently from practise (vb.) + -ant, originally after Middle French practicien FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1550 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...that they shulde make allyance with thē, for to geue ayde the one to the other, whan yt shulde be nedefull, and for to chose people and capytaynes that shulde haue authorytie for to prouyde in all affayres, to the entente that the enterpryses shulde be secrette, and that the commons specyallye shulde not be aduertysedde of the affayres, whereunto yt shulde be thoughte that they woolde not consente: for there were manye of theyme (sayde the sayde practisans of Corynthe) whyche for the hatredde that they haue agaynste the Lacedemonyans woulde reallye themselfe wyth the sayde Argiues..." From: The Hystory Writtone by Thucidides the Athenyan of the Warre, whiche was Betwene the Peloponesians and the Athenyans - Thucydides - Translated out of French by Thomas Nicolls CIVITY NOUN a city - 1577 obs. rare ETYMOLOGY from Latin cīvitās (city), Italian cività: FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1577 - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...The Irish call it, Ballée er Cleagh, that is, a towne planted vpon hurdelles. For the com∣on opinion is, that the plotte, vppon which, the ciuitie is buylded, hath béene a marishe ground, & for that by the arte or inuention of the first founder, the water could not be voyded, he was forced to fasten the quakemyre with hurdles, and vpon them to buylde the citie...." From: The Firste (Laste) Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande - Raphael Holinshed - Compiled by Richard Stanyhurst BLOOD-HUNTER NOUN n. 1. a person or creature who seeks blood or bloodshed - 1592 n. 2. a person who deliberately brings harm to another, esp. for personal gain - 1644 obs. ETYMOLOGY from blood + hunter FIRST DOCUMENTED USE 1592 (n. 1) - see EXAMPLE below EXAMPLE "...Too long were it to rehearse all the practises of this sauadge blood-hunter, how he assailed the Vnicorne as he slept in his den, and tore the heart out of his breast ere he could awake: how hee made the lesser beasts lye in wayte one for the other, and the Crocodyle to coape with the Basiliske, that when they had enterchangeably weakened each other, he might come and insult ouer them both as hee list...." From: Pierce Penilesse, His Supplication to the Diuell - Thomas Nashe |
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