 |
| Words are the theme of this week's blog post. |
The only clue I'll give you is that in some cases the answer is not what you'd expect. Or maybe it is what you'd expect and I've just said that to throw you off the scent. Anyway, have a look at the following unusual words and see if you can guess* if they're real or made up...
* Please note, if you already know the answer, then you don't need to guess. You can instead use your knowledge.
 |
| "So if we implement my proposals and sack everyone we can make savings to the wage bill of 100%!" "But how will the company run?" "Er ... well, em ... maybe I haven't thought this through." |
1) Dumbsize
To reduce the number of employees at a company or department to such low levels that the work can no longer be carried out effectively.
True or false?
2) Frazbolical
An extraordinarily weird coincidence which leads to unwelcome consequences.
True or false?
 |
| Man cannot live on oxygen alone, unless you're a breatharian, apparently. |
3) Breatharian
A person who believes it is possible through meditation to reach a state where you can live on oxygen alone, i.e. without food and drink.
True or false?
4) Chad
The small circular piece of paper you get after using a hole punch.
True or false?
 |
| Wow! Look at that cloud! It's stratoflobulous! |
5) Stratoflobulous
A type of saggy cloud most commonly found at an altitude in the region of 10,000 to 15,000 metres.
True or false?
6) Aa
No, that's not a spelling mistake. 'Aa' is a type of volcanic lava with a light frothy texture.
Or is it?
True or false?
7) Formication
The unpleasant phantom sensation of ants crawling all over your face and in your hair and all over your skin and even under your skin, even though they're not really there.
True or false?
 |
| Breathing in particles from a volcano can cause ... a bad cough. |
8) Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilico-volcanoconiosis
A lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano.
True or false?
9) Gliprification
The act of posting something fictitious on the internet and claiming it to be true with the deliberate intention of deceiving people for no other reason than mischievous tomfoolery.
True or false?
 |
The number 10+3. |
13) 10) Triskaidekaphobia
An extreme fear or superstition regarding the number thirteen.
True or false?
. . . . . . . .
Scroll down the page to find out which of the above words are real words and which are made up...
Answers:
 |
| "Where are all the managers?" "They've been dumbsized." |
1) Dumbsize
To reduce the number of employees at a company or department to such low levels that the work can no longer be carried out effectively.
True - Judging by one of my recent jobs this is becoming an increasingly common practise, especially by managers with dumbsized brains.
2) Frazbolical
An extraordinarily weird coincidence which leads to unwelcome consequences.
False - I made this word up for a short story I wrote where an alien plays a trick on the president, and pretends they have stumbled upon an unbelievable coincidence regarding ... well, I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll say no more.
Actually, I'm assuming 'frazbolical' is made up, but perhaps by a weird frazbolical coincidence there's a chance that it might already exist. I'll just check...
No, it's definitely made up. The word 'frazbolical' doesn't exist, except as a made up word in my yet to be published short story involving an alien and the president.
3) Breatharian
A person who believes it is possible through meditation to reach a state where you can live on oxygen alone, i.e. without food and drink.
True - Alternative words for a 'breatharian' include 'deluded idiot', 'complete utter fool', and after a few days 'dead'.
 |
| A creator of chads. |
4) Chad
The small circular piece of paper you get after using a hole punch.
True - I think it's really cool that we have such a word for this. I usually refer to them as 'small circles of paper from the hole punch' which is what they are, but next time I see one at work I'm going to impress everyone with my knowledge and call it a chad.
5) Stratoflobulous
A type of saggy cloud most commonly found at an altitude in the region of 10,000 to 15,000 metres.
False - This is another made up alien word I used in the short story involving the alien and the president. If I was a nepholologist* though, I would definitely categorise a new type of cloud and call it stratoflobulous, because I reckon it would make a really cool word for a type of cloud.
* A person who studies clouds. That's a bonus unusual word for you!
6) Aa
 |
| Mt Fuji last erupted in 1705 but I couldn't tell you what type of lava erupted because I wasn't alive then. |
True - I've personally never had the need to clarify the difference between different types of volcanic lava. It's never come up in general conversation. But if it does, and I need to refer to light frothy lava, then I'll know what to call it!
7) Formication
The unpleasant phantom sensation of ants crawling all over your face and in your hair and all over your skin and even under your skin, even though they're not really there.
True - I wasn't aware there was such a thing as the false sensation of ants crawling over you, but there is, and there's also a word for it. At first I assumed formication was a psychological sensation, i.e. all in your head, but apparently it's more like pins and needles, and it's a real sensation which you can actually feel, even though there are no ants actually there. Hopefully I'll never need to use the word 'formication' because it sounds horrible.
8) Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
A lung disease contracted from the inhalation of very fine silica particles, specifically from a volcano.
True - If you find pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis too much of a mouthful, you'll be pleased to learn that
I once developed a cough after visiting a volcano, so I went to the doctor...
Me: "Doctor, do you think it might be pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis?"
Doctor: "It's hard to say."
9) Gliprification
The act of posting something fictitious on the internet and claiming it to be true with the deliberate intention of deceiving people for no other reason than mischievous tomfoolery.
False - I was just gliprificating you with this word because it doesn't exist!
 |
| The number which shall not be named. |
13) Triskaidekaphobia 10) Triskaidekaphobia
An extreme fear or superstition regarding the number thirteen.
True - I once worked with a girl who was so superstitious that every Friday the 13th she booked a day off work and stayed in bed all day so that nothing bad could happen to her. She's still alive, so it looks like her plan worked!
If you want more weird words then I'm afraid you're going to be disvanquilated because this is my first post on weird words. However, here are some of my previous blog posts on weird English sayings:
Five stupid sayings (part 2)
Five stupid sayings (part 3)
Please note, 'disvanquilated' isn't a real word. Sorry, I was just gliprificating you again.
No comments:
Post a Comment