Today’s words :-

Insouciance – the quality of being carefree; a lack of concern.

Impavid –  fearless, undaunted

Inficete –  humourless, unfunny, deadly serious

Ichthyoasanthotoxism – poisoning from the sting or bite of a fish

I was running, jumping, skipping.  Flowers to my left, a babbling brook to my right.  I saw a frog, it smiled. A blackbird sang me a merry tune as the sun played hide and seek with some fluffy white clouds.  I chased a butterfly, I twitched my nose at a rabbit.  I blew a kiss to a fairy (only joking, actually I waved).  I was in blissful insouciance.

I ventured upon a chasm.  My impavid nature dared me to leap across.  Arms and legs stretched I took off like an eagle.  Unfortunately, I misjudged it.   To be honest, it wasn’t a real chasm, it was a fox’s hole and my right foot shot down it causing a startled fox to pop out of another hole a few yards away.

Despite hurting the little toe on my left foot I managed to muster a smile in its direction, but the inficete creature just frowned at me.

I limped to the pub to drown my sorrows.  My injuries could have been worse.  Suppose I’d been bitten by an ant or stung by a nettle. I could even have suffered ichthyoasanthotoxism whilst wading across the lake.  Okay, it wasn’t a lake, just a puddle, but you never know.

I was on my fifth pint (and fifth whisky chaser) when the pompous looking man in the painting over the fireplace stuck his tongue out at me.  How rude.Tomorrow’s words

Jongleur – jocoserious – jaconet – jaculate

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Today’s words from days of yore :-

Habiliment – clothing

Houppelande – cloak

Horse-coper – a person who deals in horses

Huggermugger –. One who acts in an underhand manner.

Husbandman – farmer

Hornswoggles – deceives

Hereat – as a result of this

Halt – lame

Heretofore – until this time

Howbeit – nevertheless

Hereat – as a result of

At first acquaintance, he appears every bit the respectable businessman.  Clad in a fine habiliment, a woolen houppelande, twill breeches, leather riding boots and top hat, who would doubt his credibility?

However, this seemingly upright horse-coper is nothing more than a huggermugger of the first degree who preys on unsuspecting husbandmen.  He offers for sale what he claims to be fine shire horses ready to work their land.

Alas, he hornswoggles his victims and provides instead halt beasts unable to provide service, then disappears with his ill-gotten gains never to be seen again.

Heretofore he has evaded those who would seek to capture and prosecute him.  Howbeit, it is but a matter of time before he is found and hereat brought to justice.

Tomorrow’s words

Insouciance , Impavid,  Inficete and Ichthyoasanthotoxism.

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Today’s forgotten words :-

fastuous – arrogant; showy. 

fabulist – recounter of fables; liar

flatulopetic – pretentious, pompous

“Oh no, here comes pompous Tom,” said Max. 

Sure enough, the flatulopetic Thomas Fotherington was heading our way clutching a bottle of bubbly and four flutes.  Another lad’s night in the Dog and Duck was about to be hijacked.

Fastuous Thomas is something of a fabulist, so whatever he tells us we take with an oversized pinch of sodium chloride!

“Dear friends, greetings,” he said as he pulled up a chair.  He made a great show of popping the cork, the sound of which startled a lady at the next table, causing her to drop her glass of Chateau Plonk on the flagstone floor with scene-stealing effect.

To cut a long story short, and believe me it was pretty lengthy, he told us that ‘Mater and Pater’  (Mum and Dad to you and me)  were retiring to their country estate and he was taking control of the family business.

It was then that an old school chum of Thomas bounded in our direction.  Thomas cringed and turned away hoping he’d not been spotted. 

“Watch’a Tommy” he shouted, thumping Thomas on the back.  “I hear your parents are giving you their market stall.  They’ll have more time to spend at their ole’ caravan now”. 

Thomas huffed, puffed and huffed some more, then excused himself saying he had an important meeting to attend. 

The champagne was nice.

Tomorrow’s words

Glossolalia,  Gobemouche,  Gynotikolobomassophile

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… for Sammi’s Weekend Writing Prompt where the given word is Keepsake and the limit, 49 words.

‘Open your hand’ she whispered

I did as she asked

‘Have this’

.

She placed her palm upon mine

‘You’ve given me nothing’ I said

‘Oh, but I have’

.

Then she was gone

I know not where

Nor why.

.

I treasure that keepsake

A piece of her heart

 within mine

Today’s desuetude words are :-

Desuetude (n)  Obsolescence; a state of disuse.

Defenestrate (v)  To throw out of a window.

Declivitous (v)  Downward sloping.

‘Where did you find that?  I asked.

‘I was clearing out the loft,  and there it was. I thought I’d lost it.  It’s worth a fortune you know’.

‘But it’s just a scruffy old football’  I said.  ‘It’s desuetude’.

‘It’s seen better days, but it scored the winning goal in the Northern Football League final in 1889 and I’m donating it to the British Sports Museum’.

As a joke, I opened the window and pretended to defenestrate it!

Unfortunately, it slipped from my grasp, hit the pavement, bounced its way down the declivitous street, hopped over a fence into the park, and plopped into a pond.

I was mortified! 

‘I’ll fetch it’  I spluttered as I rushed out the door.

When I got to the park I found a group of boys kicking it around.

‘No no no’  I yelled,  ‘it’s a valuable antique’.

It cost me six ice creams, four chocky bars and two sticky buns to get it back.

‘Here it is’  I said as I handed it back.  ‘No damage done’.

 My mean friend suddenly got a fit of the giggles. 

‘I hate to tell you, mate’  he chuckled,  ‘I got my kids a new ball yesterday and I was putting that godforsaken old thing in the garbage bin this afternoon’.

Mondays words –

Eyne, embouchure, erelong,  eftsoon,  egad,  now, excogigate,  esurient, and  esurient.

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Today’s rarely used words are :-

Cockalorum (n) a little man who incorrectly has a very high opinion of himself.

Cynosure (n) a thing or person that’s the centre of attention or admiration.

Concinnity (v) the skilful and harmonious arrangement or fitting together of different parts of something.

John’s a bit of a cockalorum so it was no surprise that he wanted to show off his posh new apartment.   I reluctantly accepted his invitation and joined him for supper.

He’d spent the last few days assembling furniture and the result was – how shall I say? – interesting!  The cynosure of the living room was a somewhat wonky-looking table!  

‘You like it?’ asked John.  ‘Ten components,  one allen key,  twenty-two bolts,  four wooden pins,  one hour thirty-seven minutes’.

He noticed I was looking at his bookshelf.   It was a bit crooked; how on earth the books didn’t slide off I can’t imagine!

‘Four metal poles, three shelves four rubber feet, sixteen bolts, an allen key,  fifty-seven minutes’ he proudly stated.

I plonked myself down on a dining chair which suddenly jerked sideways a couple of inches.

‘Ah, yes. Six parts, five bolts, fourteen minutes.  It should have been seven parts, six bolts, eighteen minutes but some bits were missing’.

John made himself busy in the kitchen while I admired the concinnity of the furniture if not the concinnity of it’s construction!

He returned with two plates of steaming food and placed them on the table.  I just about managed to stop mine from slithering into my lap! 

‘This looks delicious ‘  I said trying to sound convincing.

‘Four ingredients, six spices,  two herbs, three saucepans, twelve minutes’  said he.  I have to admit, it was quite tasty!

Soon, it was time for me to go.

‘Five miles, one train, two streets, one front door, one yale key, sixty-five minutes’ I said as I bid him farewell. 

Tomorrow’s forgotten words

Desuetude,  Defenestrate and Declivitous 

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Today’s underused words are :-

Bosk (n) A small wooded area.

Bombinating (v)   Buzzing, humming.

Bifurcates(v) Divides into two branches.

                              Brannigan (n) A drinking spree.

Bill’s got a bosk at the bottom of his garden.  It’s nice.  A couple of beech trees and an oak or two.  Bushes too.

A footpath runs into it. Midway it bifurcates.  One way is a useful shortcut to the village pub, and the other leads to what he calls his honey factory.   Five hives and a colony of bombinating bees!

When he goes collecting he looks like a creature from outer space with his protective gear covering him from head to foot!

He sells his honey in the pub.  It’s delicious.   Whenever he’s there enjoying a brannigan, he has a new bee joke.  What do bees do when they get married?   Have a honeymoon!  Where do they go?   Beejing or Stingapore! 

So, what shall I have for breakfast today?  Toast and honey of course!

Tomorrows words :-

Cockolorum (courtesy of Varad!), concinnity and cynosure

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I’m something of a loganamnosist* and this month I will resurrect as many obsolete words as I can within short pieces of flash fiction.

* (n) someone with an obsession for discovering long-forgotten words.

To start us off –

Absquatulate (v) to discreetly leave a gathering or party without informing the host.

Aliment (n) food; nourishment.

Oh no! Look what I’ve done. I don’t think anyone noticed, at least I hope not.  But honestly, serving red wine at a party in a room with a white carpet is asking for trouble.  Someone’s bound to spill some.  Don’t you dare rat on me!

Actually, it looks quite pretty, almost as if it’s meant to be there.  If I drip a drop more just there, and a dribble to the right, it’ll look like a pretty rose.  Then if I accidentally drop some of that green guacamole dippy stuff and tread on it, it’ll have some leaves!   Shall I?   No one’s looking, so here goes!  

Hey, that’s great; a magnificent work of art! 

Time to grab a handful of aliment and absquatulate methinks.  Disappear like that graffiti artist that paints pictures on walls without being seen.  What’s his name?  Banksy, that’s him.

Just think, one day this carpet will be worth a fortune. The Rose: Artist unknown!

Tomorrow’s words :-

Bosky, bombinate, brannigan and bifurcate

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