Word Tasting Note Index

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Words with asterisks have fictional vignettes. Words in italic are guest tastings.

A Word Taster’s Companion Let’s get started What makes a word The world speaks in harmony Horseshoes, hand grenades… and phonemes The vowel circle The long and short of it The consonant line Stop! What are you doing? The nose knows Sushi thief! Ah, frick it Lovely, lyrical liquids Wow! Yay! Glides! Huh. Is that all? Uh-uh. Syllables 1: The basic bits Syllables 2: Breaking words Syllables 3: The rhythm method — Abbottabad abeyance ablaut about abracadabra academia acatalectic acorn acromegaly acumen adder ad hominem* administrivia adnexa adventure aegis aelbaroate* affricate aftermath agelast aglet agnate agrochemical ai ajar akimbo album alcatras aleatory alethic alfalfa allure aloof amanuensis ambsace amortization amphigouri amphithect anarchist anathema anglice* anniversary annunciation anodyne anoplothere antagonistic Antilles any more, anymore anyways aplomb apocolocyntosis apodictic apologetic* apoplectic apostrophe apotropaic approximately arabesque Arcadia architrave ark around ascapartic Ascot aspic aspidistra asterism ataraxy, ataractic at the end of the day* aubergine autodidacticism avarice awesame awesome awkward baa badger bagel bahuvrihi bakkushan baksheesh balk ballade balls bannock bar bargello barque (shorter) barque (longer) basmati bayonet beefcake* begat begroan* beg the question* bellwether benighted benignant benthic besom biannual bibelot bibliography Billy bind binder bisphosphonate bitch biweekly* blaspheme blatjang BMW bobcat bobotie bodice bodkin boffin bogus bokeh bolero bombinate bonk book it bookkeeper bookstore, bookshop boon boondocks boot* borborygmus bosky boson bound brachydactyly brassiere brazen brouhaha budgerigar buffalo bugaboo bugbear bulldoze bulrush bung bungle bupkes burdock burglar bussing* buxom* by caboodle cacao cachexy* cachinnate cacophony cadre Caerphilly* calque* CamelCase camisole canary canola canoodle can’t caparison captious carapacity carboy* cardamom carfax Carib carnage carnival carob carol caseness cataplectic catarrh cataskeuastic catercorner catharsis catsup cattery caudate cepstrum cerumen chai* chance changeroom chalcedony Charlevoix chatterati chelp chesterfield chiaroscuro Chicxulub chilblain childish & childlike chillax chipmunk chirality chitterlings Christie chrysotile chuckwagon chum* chupacabra chutzpah cicada cicatrix cicisbeo circa cissoid *ckle claret clarion clerestory clerihew cloaca (shorter) cloaca (longer) clobber cnicnode Cobb salad coccygeal, coccyx coelecanth cognoscenti coitus collyrium combinatorics comptroller concatenate conch conciliation conclave concupiscence condign confetti congeries conjunctiva conundrum coolth cormorant corroborate corroboree cortex coruscating corvette coryphaeus costus couch coulis coup de grâce* crackerjack craic crapulous crass (shorter) crass (longer) crazy* creole crepitate crepuscular crestfallen cricket crisp* crispy* croissant cromulent* crotchet crucial crwth cryoconite ctenophore cubicle cull cupidity curiouser curlicue curmudgeon curry favour* cursive cwm dabchick dacre dactylitis daft & daffy dandelion dawdle decade definite, definitely dehisce delicacy delice delope* delphin deliquium* demesne demijohn* demure desolate dewlap diacritic dilapidated dingle* dioecious* disaster discobolus discobolus (again) disgruntled dishevelled disinterested distill dogpile doldrums don donzerly doobie dormouse doubt drupe* dryad dubious duds, dud dugong dulse durian dyvour dweeb* dwindle e earl-url-irl earthling Easter ebriety ecchymotic Eccles edentulous e’en effrontery Eglinton egregious eh ejective ekker elderberry eldritch eleemosynary elegiac elfin elope* Elton Elvis embiggen* emphasis emphatic empyrean encomium endive endorse ennui enormity entomophagy epergne epic* epicene erg ersatz escapee escovitch escutcheon esoterogeny espadrille esurient eternal & everlasting etiolated eulachon euphony euphuism Europe evanescent evening eviscerate evite, Evite, evitable* evopropinquitous ewage* expletive* exophthalmic Eyjafjallajökull fadfix fail faldstool fandango fantastic fantods farthingale fatigue fatuous faze feral fervent fey filibuster finicky firmament fissiparous fisticuffs fixin’s fized flamenco flaxseed fleer flibbertigibbet flirt floatel floccose floordrobe flutterbudget* foetid foist foliage foolscap forehead forficate fortitude fortune forty-five forty-two* four very long words* foxtrot frabjous fracas fractal frantic fraught fream frenetic frenzy fricative* frisky frith frosh* frug fry fuchsia fugxury fulgurant funambulist fungible, fungi* futalognkosaurus futhorc

gaga gainsay galangal gall gallimaufry galore (shorter) galore (longer) gambol gangbusters gangrene gargoyle Gasherbrum gastropub* gecko* geek geezer genitive geoduck Geronimo gerrymander get* get-go* Gewürztraminer ghetto ghrelin gibbous giblet giddyup git glad Glenbow glint glitter glosa glossolalia gobbet gobbler gobsmacked gongoozler goon gorgeous gossip gotten gowpen grackle grasshopper grawlix greed griot grits grizzled groceries groundhog* gsnerk guar guava guduchi guggul Guinea gutta-percha guyot* guys* gyrfalcon gyttja hack haggis hallelujah hallux Hamtramck hangover haplology Hardanger hark haruspex hatch* hatchet* hauberk hearth Hedda hegemony helminth hemistich hermetic hesher hiatus hiccup hick hidalgo high muck-a-muck hijinks hinterland hippopotamus hirple hoard hockey holiday homage homily honcho hoosegow hopefully horde horrisonous horseshoer however* hubbub* (vignette) hubbub (non-vignette) hung* hurricane hurricane hurt hussy hyperforeignism* hyperreal hyrax hyssop hysteresis* I ictus idioblast idiolect if and when iff ignotum ilex Illecillewaet illeist* ill-starred incarnadine incent, incentivize* incessant indigenous in excelsis* infra dig infrared iniquity inkling* inlandish insane* insolite intaglio integrous intinction inveigle Io I plight thee my troth Iqaluit irenic irregardless isogloss jackdaw jejune je ne sais quoi* Jennifer, juniper* jiggery-pokery jildi Joan of Arc junket just deserts Kalamata kaolin katabatic kenosis kerf Kerguelen kestrel ketchup kex key kinnikinnick Kiribati kith kitsch* kiwi* kjerulfine klister kneck koi Koocanusa kudos kwikluk labdanum lackadaisically laconic lacrosse lagniappe lakh lambent languor largesse lasso latria launder lede legion Leica leveret levirate Lhasa lightning linseed lipsynch liqueur littérateur little littoral* livery loanword* located lockdown, lockup loess loom* lorem ipsum lowly* lunch* lung-bustingly lurch lush macadamia Macon maffick* magi* mainframe malamanteau malarkey mammothrept manatee mandible maneater manila manticore mantissa mantle, mantel maple maraschino marathon marijuana marmoreal maroon marquetry martini mascarpone maya mediochre melancholy mêlée melisma mensicus mentor* mercaptan Mercedes meretrix merlot merry* Mesopotamia* metonymy midway mildew Milford milli milliner milquetoast minerality minion misadventure missile* mist mizuna mofette mogul moil moist* mojo moksha molossus & molasses* monadnock mondegreen* monoubiquitination moribund* morpheme mortadella moss moulder moulin moxibustion mucous/mucus* muffuletta mulct mulligatawny multiplicative inverse mumpsimus munch munificent munted, munter murmuration musk mustelid muumuu my bad* myopic myriad* naiad naïve Nanki-poo narthex nativity nauseous* nautilus* nefarious nerd nerve nevertheless* nimbus nincompoop nitty-gritty nocebo nog noisome nonce nonetheless* nosegay notwithstanding* noxious nudibranch nugatory nuisance nullifidian nunatak nunchuck obelisk, obelus oblipicha obloquy obmutescence obnoxious obnubilate* obscure occult ocelot octoroon odalisque odious often ogdoad Ohthere ogham Okanagan oleaginous oligarchy ommatidium omnibus ongoing onomastics onus onychophagia oot & aboot ophicleide opprobrium orgeat orrery ostracize ouche* outrage ovoviviparity oxalate oyster pacific pagan* Paganini* painstaking* pakora pale* palindrome pangolin panini* pants* parabens paralipsis parallax paraphernalia parquetry pashm pasticcio, pastiche patter pattern* patty peavey pecan pelican pell-mell peplum peptide peregrination perigee peristalsis perk permanganate per se persiflage pervicacious pessimal pesto petiolate petrichor philtrum phlogiston phlox phocomele phrenitic phrensy phthisis phylloxera phylum pibgorn Picasso picrorhiza pidgin pie* pika, pica* pinchbeck pingle pinguid pinhole pipe dream piscicide pissaladière pissant pitchblende pith pivotal pizzazz place, plaice* plank* plenipotentiary plouk plump* plunge po pogonotrophy polygyny pollex polyphloisboian pomfret ponder poop poppycock porkhock pörkölt position posse pram prayer precipitousness premiss preposition preposterous prestidigitation pretzel prior privacist procrastination prognathous prolix prorogue prosciutto prusten pschent psithurism psoas psychedelic psychopomp ptosis pulchritude punch pupil pygostyle

qawwal qi quadruped quantum quagga Quaoar quarter quefrency quiddity quidnunc quirt quodlibet quondam quux qvevri qwerty radicchio radish rag-tag rahmonic rambutan rancio ravel realm rebar rebozo rebus recrudesce, recrudescence redaction reefer regatta reluctant remunerate repugnant requited resveratrol retiarius reticent retsina rhabdomyolysis rhizomatic rictus riddelliine rife riffle rile risotto roborant rocket rocococity rodeo rodomontade roger rondeau rook Roxanne roundabout rudera rue rumpus rupestral* saccade sackbut sacroiliitis salacious salchow salitter salmagundi Sanskrit sarcophagus Sardanapalian sardonyx satisficing Saturnalia sauromorph savage savour scabrous scandalize scapegrace scarth scathe scattermalia Schadenfreude schism schlimazel school schorl schrol scintilla scion sconce scone scotomata scoundrel scrat scree scrimp scrum scud scumble scuttlebutt seductive selachian semelparity senescence seneschal sensical sequelæ serendipity sesame sforzando shaman shammash shampoo shawm sheer shellac sherbet shibboleth shill shimmer shirr* shit* shiva shotglass shrove shyster sidereal silo sinecure sistroid situated sketchy (brief note) sketchy (vignette)* skeuomorph skirl* skiving* sknx skosh skulk slattern sledgehammer sleuth sloven slum slumber small smark smidgen smite, smote, smitten smooch smorzando snaggletoothed sned snide snipe snite snood snuck soccer sockdolager sockeye sofa solfatara solipsism Somerset Sonoma sough spatchcock spear spell* spermaceti sphagnum splanchnic spleen spoffle springe spruce* spruiking Spuzzum squee* squidgeemorrow stanch* starboard starling* stash staunch* steatopygian* stench* stenosis stentorian sternutatory stew* stifle stoic stollen stook stracotto straphanger strudel styrax Styx, Stygian subgum succotash suffer summer supernatant surreal surreptitious Susan* susurrus Suzanniwana swage Swansea swarthy sweatxedo swelter swim swizzle sybaritic sycophant syne* synecdoche tacet taffeta tang tantamount Tantric tarsier technetium teepee teetotum teh temblor tempura* tentiginous tergiversation thaumaturge thelemite theorbo thermos they thither thixotropic thole thoroughfare thrall threshold throng thrum thurifer thwack* tibia tittup* tiza tmesis* toad toadstool tocsin toilet* tomentose tone toodle-oo toque torrid tortrix tosh to wit town tragic, tragedy trail tranche transhumant travesty tribology triboluminescence trifle* trilby trinitite triolet triptych* triticale tritone trollop Troy, Trojan truckle truffle tuches tumbrel tuque turpitude turquoise tussive twelve twerp two-peat ubiety uffish uglily U-ie uisce ultramarine ulu umami umpteen unceasing uncleft unctuousness under the sea undertaker unreal unununium upsot urban, urbane* usufruct utriform uvula uxorious vacay vaccine vade mecum Valentine valetudinarian valour vamp Vancouver vapid velleity vellicate venial & venal venture verdant vertex vertigo vespertine vex* vibrio vice* Vichyssoise vignette, vignetting vinculum viraginity virch virga viscid voice vouchsafe vuvuzela vuln walrus wan warfarin warlock wassail watercress wax* welkin well-being wend Wendy* wetin wh- wharf whereabouts* wherefore whiffle whilom* whilst whimsy* whitebait whored whippersnapper whippletree widespread & ubiquitous willy-nilly win wlat woof Worcestershire* worsted wreak wrench wrest wretched writhe xenial xiphoid xu xylol, xylyl xynomavro xyst yam yank yearbook yeehaw yex yield ylem yoik, yoicks ytterbium yule yump zaftig* zen zeaxanthin zein ziggurat zilch zucchini Zugunruhe zugzwang zurrukutuna zygology