I should use this word more often. It’s fun like ‘balderdash’ and deserves equal opportunity.
guttersnipe (gut·ter·snipe): / GUHT er snipe /
noun
(1) a person of the lowest economic or moral stature; someone characteristic of the lowest social class
(2) a street urchin; a homeless vagabond, especially an outcast boy or girl with ragged clothes and rough manners
[Originally used on Wall Street to refer to “streetcorner brokers.” The general meaning stems from the common snipe (Gallinago gallinago), a bird that likes muddy wet conditions, and the idea of street cleaners used in reference to young children seen collecting paper and rags from gutters.]
Usage: After her mother died and her father abandoned her, she was forced to live as a guttersnipe in the city’s slums.
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I've always loved this word. It reminds me of "frak" and "felgercarb" from Battlestar Galactica. balderdash (bal·der·dash): / BAWL der dash / noun (1) nonsense; useless, exaggerated, stupid, or senseless talk or writing [Etymology unknown.] Usage: Dubya has done nothing except try to snow the American people and the world…
December 7, 2006
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Here's a fun word that's probably underused. gobbledygook (gob·ble·dy·gook): / GOB uhl dee gook / noun (1) language, especially written, that is characterized by too much jargon or nonsense, and is therefore difficult or impossible to understand [A fanciful formation based on an imitation of the sound made by a…
January 20, 2007
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Let me offer a word I used yesterday. emesis (em·e·sis): / EM uh sis / noun (1) vomiting, as in an act or instance thereof (technical) [From Greek emein meaning "to vomit."] Usage: [via] Then it doesn't matter if you win or not; your audience is intact and they haven't…
December 10, 2006
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