Thursday, April 06, 2006

Throwing things out of windows

I get a "word of the day" email from dictionary.com. It's a pretty cool thing, I must say. Sometimes the words are duds, but every now and then you get a real gem. Look at Sunday's word:

defenestrate \dē-fĕn' ĭ-strāt'\, transitive verb:
To throw out of a window.

Defenestrate is derived from Latin de-, "out of" + fenestra,
"window." The noun form is defenestration.


Who knew there was a word for that? Do people really throw things out of windows frequently enough that the action merits its very own verb? And check out today's word:

hobbledehoy \hŏb' əl-dē-hoi'\, noun:
An awkward, gawky young fellow.


Now how great is that? Certainly there are enough awkward, gawky young fellows in the world that they deserve a noun all their own, but I think it's unfortunate that it has to be a word like "hobbledehoy." I'd feel awkward and gawky myself if I actually used that word in front of anyone.

"Oh man, those boys are such hobbeldehoys," Kelly observes as a group of hormonal high school boys clamber awkwardly into the restaurant.
"Uh... Kelly, you're a freak," her concerned friend replies flatly.

Maybe I should come up with my own name for guys like that. In any event, it's a fabulous word... even if it's unusable in public. Let's hear it for awkward, gawky young fellows that give me something to blog about instead of doing homework! Now go defenestrate yourself.

4 comments:

Ronnie said...

The m-w.com word of the day is better today and very applicable to my life.

Lauren said...

One time I saw a historical window where a whole bunch of important people were actually defenestrated. Ridiculous! My friend Brian almost tossed me out, too. Moral of the story: Defenestration is funny and also dangerous.

p.s. Do you think this word has anything to do with the german word "fenster"?? Crazy deutschers.

Kim said...

Oh that is hilarious. I am entertained.

James said...

bonhomie \bah-nuh-MEE\, noun:
Good nature; pleasant and easy manner.

I am also a subscriber to the word of the day and my roommates and I send each other emails to lighten the day, and incorporate them into our already large lexicons.