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15 *Weird* Sounding English Words And What They Mean!

Phalasha Nagpal  |  Feb 7, 2017
15 *Weird* Sounding English Words And What They Mean!

Every now and then, we all come across some unusually strange sounding words. Reading them makes your brain fuzzy and pronouncing them is nothing short of a tongue twister. Here is a list of some super funny and weird English words that’ll make you giggle!

1. Nincompoop (noun) – a foolish person

You now have a new word for ‘idiot’!

‘He must be a nincompoop for having invested all his money in one company’s stocks.’

2. Debauchery (noun) – an extreme sense of pleasure

Yes, and it’s usually used in reference to indulgence in sex, alcohol and drugs.

‘The film is full of debauchery, I wouldn’t recommend watching it with your little sister.’

3. Fuddy-duddy (noun) – an old fashioned person who doesn’t accept modern trends

Believe it or not, that’s a real word!

‘Stop being a fuddy-duddy and create a Facebook account for yourself!’

4. Bumfuzzled (verb) – to get confused or flustered

Don’t get the wrong idea! It has nothing to do with bums. *LOL*

‘Trump’s triumph in the U.S. elections left several Americans bumfuzzled.’

5. Dollop (noun) – a quantity of liquid or substance

Unlike the others, this word means exactly what it sounds like!

‘That cute little bakery sells scrumptious chocolate brownies with dollops of whipped cream on them!’

6. Gibberish (noun) – words that make no sense

It comes from the root word ‘gibber’, which means to talk inarticulately.

‘You were talking gibberish in your sleep last night, I tried hard to decipher it but just couldn’t!’

7. Squabble (noun and verb) – a trivial but noisy quarrel

What a jelly wiggle waggle sounding word! Don’t you agree?

‘Even the happiest couples squabble every now and then.’

8. Cacophony (noun) – a mixture of horrible sounds

An odd sounding word with an odd meaning.

‘I was woken up at dawn by the cacophony outside my house.’

9. Gobbledygook (noun) – making the language meaningless by using complicated words

This word originates from the ‘gobble, gobble’ sound that a turkey makes.

‘Politicians are known to use gobbledygook to conceal controversies.’

10. Flummox (verb) – to confuse

Who would’ve thought that that’s what it means!

‘My Irish friend was flummoxed by the Indian rituals at my sister’s wedding.’

11. Lackadaisical (adjective) – someone who is super lazy with no enthusiasm or determination to do anything

This one was kinda easy to guess!

‘I take two shots of coffee to make sure that I’m not lackadaisical’

12. Woebegone (adjective) – to be surrounded by sadness

Woe = sad and begone = surrounded. Hence – woebegone.

‘The mother could tell that her son was woebegone when their pet died.’

13. Lollygag (adjective) – to idle or waste time

No, it has nothing to do with lollies or gags!

‘While his best friend was lollygagging around the campus, he spent his time studying for the upcoming exams.’

14. Kerfuffle (noun) – a commotion or fuss

This funny word belongs to the 1800s!

‘If my boyfriend forgets my birthday this year, there will be quite a kerfuffle at our place.’

15. Hoodwink (verb) – to deceive or trick

Its literal meaning is ‘close the eyes’ or ‘to blindfold’.

‘The bartender tried to hoodwink us by using cheap alcohol to prepare our cocktails.’

GIFs: Giphy, Tumblr

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