Category: Word lovers

Ersatz (adjective) [er-sahts] This is a word that comes from the German word for “replacement”. According to the Macquarie Dictionary, it means “serving as a substitute”. So you might say: “Vegetarians often like ersatz meat dishes.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world

Ludic (noun) [looh-dik] This cool word means “spontaneously playful” and it encapsulates the behaviour of my kitty Rocky. He’s always ready to play at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile my other cat Rex seems to only want to play under specific circumstances and particular times of day! To hear Valerie and

Apple-knocker (noun) [ap-uh l-nok-er] While this ain’t a common term in Australia and is not listed in the Macquarie Dictionary, it’s more used as a colloquial term in the US where it means “an ignorant or unsophisticated person”, like a hillbilly perhaps. There could be a few reasons for this.

Peregrination (noun) [perra-grin-AY-shin] This means “travelling from one place to another”. So you might say “She took photos of all the big tourist attractions on her peregrination from Cairns to Coffs Harbour.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and

Ekphrastic (adjective) [eck-frass-tick] I came across this word because Karen Andrews has a new book of poetry called On the Many Shapes Bodies Will Take and she describes her poetry as “ekphrastic“. This is the adjective that comes from the word “ekphrasis” which, according to the Macquarie Dictionary, means “the

Bombilate (verb) [bom-bi-layt] This means “to buzz or hum”. So you might say “The alarm kept on bombilating.” Well, we can’t imagine anyone actually saying that, but if they did now you’d know what it means! To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world

Gongoozler (noun) [Gon-goo-z-lerr] This means someone who is an idle spectator. Specifically, it used to refer to someone who enjoyed watching the boats go by on canals but now has a more generic meaning. To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing,

Grawlix (noun) [graw-licks] This refers to the typographical symbols used to represent a profane word. Like “@#$@%$&*”./. When I was little, I remember reading Asterix books and they would contain these symbols. At the time I had no idea what they meant! To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this

Quidnunc (noun) [kwid-ˌnəŋk] This refers to someone who loves to hear the latest scandal and gossip. So you would say that the women on The Real Housewives of Sydney are all quidnuncs! To hear Valerie and Allison chat more about this and more on the world of writing, blogging and

Blatherskite [blath-er-skahyt] This is a noun that refers to someone given to voluble, empty talk. I’m sure we all know a blatherskite or two in our lives. So you might say: “I’ve stopped paying attention to him because he is such a blatherskite.” To hear Valerie and Allison chat more

Magazine (noun) [mag-uh-zeen] From The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth: “Once upon a time there was an Arabic word khazana meaning to store up. From that they got makhzan meaning storehouse and its plural makhazin. That word sailed northwards across the Mediterranean (the middle of the earth) and become the Italian