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.
Previous posts –
Greediness doesn’t pay does it ? The boys must have been thrilled with the treat they got in return for the ball !
I bet they were! Thanks, Unishta
Hahaha, ready to defenestrate the guy ;))
D is for Denim
Definitely! Cheers.
ROTFLOL – oh, that’s a good one. See I know ‘Defenestrate’ thanks to Avengers 2012 – because Loki defenestrates Tony Stark and he makes a big thing about it.
Tasha 💖
Virginia’s Parlour – The Manor (Adult concepts – nothing explicit in posts)
Tasha’s Thinkings – Vampire Drabbles
I didn’t know about that, I bet he did! Thanks Tasha
Hi Keith – lovely story … and fun to see your words. He was not dismayed, was he … enjoy whatever sunshine you can see … looks the fog is finally going from here – cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary. Brightening up nicely now. Should be a good weekend for tidying up my balcony after the damaged caused by all that wind recently!
What a prank! “Defenestrate” is one of my favorite old words.
I like it too! Cheers Mimi.
Good one! I only knew Defenestrate! An expensive exchange indeed!
…and so unnecessary! Thanks so much.
That football emoji in the end captures what I-imagine-you-must-have-looked-like when your neighbour said those words perfectly. Good one Keith.
Precisely! Thanks Arti.
Cool story.
Thanks Sadje!
You’re welcome Keith.
I totally did not see that coming. Nice one!
Nor did he! Thanks Denise.
A great little story, great use of words. I’d never heard the first one…some cousin to suede? You’d think the adjective form would be desuetudal. (What a mouthful!)
The other words I recognize from their French roots. You’re making good use of your lock-down time, educating us all. 🙂
I seem to have got you thinking Christine! The challenge couldn’t have come at a better time!
In case no American readers pipe up, on this side of the Drink, that’s a soccer ball. 😉
Indeed it is, I should have added a foot note about the foot ball!
A lucky lucky day for the boys in the field as well as the mean friend. But definitely a bad one for someone.
I wonder if I can use even half of the new old words by the end of the series with your posts, I would be in a position to compete with a famous(?) politician in India who is known for his flair with English language!
It certainly was! I think you take the politicion on – I’ll help you!
I just watched a video today in which this Indian politician is throwing a volley of words are us with the clock ticking and it made me think of you.
The flash was fun. Maybe he owed the lucky boys a treat. Happy Sunday!💐💐
Haha! I’ll take that as a compliment! Have a nice day.
Great story and wow, good use of rare words! I can see an editor with a fat red pen striking all of them out if you used them in a modern manuscript tho LOL
https://operationawesome6.blogspot.com/
Happy AtoZ Challenge from Operation Awesome!
Me too! Thank goodness my blog doesn’t have an editor, it would look a right mess!
That was one mean prank! But, I am tempted to use one or more of the words in this series and try coming up with a poem..
Tat would be great! Go on, have a go!
I am so enjoying your wee little and amusing stories! Great imagination and use of unknown words! Cheers!
I’m so pleased. Thanks for your generous words Kathe.
Great use of words in a fun story. Love it.
I’m pleased, thank you Suzy.
Deviously delightful!
Thanks Jade!
Lol… poor guy. Defenestrate is a cool word. I came across it two years ago when searching for some free submissions. That’s an online platform with that name. 😀
I’m surprised how many people have said they knew it – I didn’t before discovering in my dictionary of old words! I guess I’d better start using it more in future!
LOL! I didn’t see that coming.
@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter – Living the Twenties
Nor he, that’s for sure! Loving your theme btw.
He spent so much on that bribe. Poor guy.
I can only hope his friend took him to the pub for a pint! – cheers!
That was one mean prank and one hilarious tale. Good one, Keith.
Thanks Varad, glad you liked it!
In real life, that would be great improvisational storytelling. Brief, but oh so expandable.This made me laugh.
Besides the words at the top, there have been a few “native” words I have no idea what they are but a guess: choky bar is chocolate?
Native words – I like that! And yes, it’s a bar of chocolate! Cheers Stu.
Keith,
Your different word alternatives are difficult to pronounce and don’t drop off my lips easily and you’re probably the only person I know who can pull something like this off with such deftness. 🙂
Cathy’s Pinup Girl #AtoZChallenge Art Sketch Series (‘D’)
What can I say? That’s so kind of you Cathy
Oops! Good story, Keith.
Oops indeed! Cheers Sascha.,
Ha, ha, ha ! Priceless. Thank you for this fun flash. In French we use the word désuet, as an adjective, like we also use kitsch. Three Latin words today I see. Fenêtre, window. Déclinaison, slope.
E appears very ambitious, looking forward to these varied origins. Already behind on visiting again this year … oh, well. Happy Easter week-end. Take care.
Pleased you liked it Susan So many words have roots in other languages, archaic or modern. Joyeuses Pâques!