How marvellous the English language is! So many words to express what you think, feel or see. No wonder it is often considered the de facto language across the globe.
I do appreciate the richness of English in the spoken and written word. The French language is attractive and appealing, but I love the wealth and breadth that English possesses.
It is rather good fun, actually, to find words hitherto unknown to you and drop them into conversation for a laugh.
My current favourite: I love the word ‘poltroon’. It means an utter coward. I must remember to shoehorn that one in some time, be it in an email or a chat.
Also of note, is ‘throttlebottom’, an inept and futile person in public office. Hmm, so many throttlebottoms nowadays, where to start…
I like the word ‘ninnyhammer’, another way of calling someone a fool. It makes me think of my favourite Christmas film, Elf, at the point where Buddy describes himself as the worst toy maker in the world and a ‘cotton-headed ninny muggins’ to gasps from the other elves.
Recently I have come across ‘myrmidon’, which was new to me. Looking up its meaning online at Cambridge Dictionary, it says that a myrmidon is ‘someone who follows and obeys a powerful person or authority, even when this means doing bad things for them’ eg “They each claimed that they were only doing their job - the standard reply from the myrmidons of authoritarian regimes everywhere.” I tend to think we’ve seen plenty of those over the last few years too!
That has just reminded me of a Chief Constable in England who, during the ‘Covid Times’ in April 2020 said, according to the Daily Mail “We will not, at this stage, be setting up roadblocks. We will not, at this stage, start to marshal supermarkets and check the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it’s a necessary item. But be under no illusion, if people do not heed the warnings and the pleas I’m making today, we will start to do that.”
What word would be most accurate to describe him? I couldn’t possibly comment…
I rather like the American way of describing an unnecessary, futile, wasteful or fraudulent project as a ‘boondoggle’. What - like HS2? (Joking/not joking).
‘Ultracrepidarian’ is another one to have fun with. The definition according to Merriam-Webster is one who is presumptuous and offers advice or opinions beyond one’s sphere of knowledge. Well, that could describe one or two famous names on Twitter (sorry, X). Still, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the world would be boring if we were all the same.
And how about ‘bumfuzzled’? If you are bumfuzzled, you are confused, bewildered, and flustered.
Sticking with the bum theme (may as well!), do you own a ‘bumbershoot’? If so, have you had a reason to use it lately? This is another American-English term and simply refers to an umbrella. I think I shall carry on using the word ‘brolly’, thank you very much; telling people I have a huge multicoloured bumbershoot just doesn’t sound polite.