See copyright notice. Quaint Words
These are, perhaps, more than just quaint. Others might use other terms to describe them. Here are some ideas of what I'm getting at:
See also this link http://www.merrycoz.org/voices/bartlett/AMER02.HTM which I just became aware of (Fall 2007)
If the word is listed in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1973) then it is so
indicated, with a brief synonym.
The notation (2000 - nnnn) means it is found at Merriam-Webster's
web site showing a first-entry date of nnnn.
The notation (1999) refers to the above site, but indicates that I've not checked more
recently than 1999.
The notation (1913) refers to a version of Webster's 1913, e.g., from from Bibliomania
or from Dailey
| nincompoop {1913 - fool} | humdinger {1973 - doozy} {2000 - 1904, though (1913) does not list it} |
| catywampous {- lopsided; neither (1913) nor (2000) appears to have anything similar} | caterwaul {1913 - yowl} |
| whippersnapper {1913 - insubordinate} | clodhopper {1913 - hick, rustic} |
| persnickety {1973 - fussy, not 1913} | lollygag {1973 - dawdle, not 1913} |
| cantankerous {1913 - contentious} | rigamarole {1973 - complexity, not 1913} |
| finagle {1973 - wheedle, not 1913} | tomfoolery {1913 - folly} |
| flaggergast {1973 - astound, not 1913} | hornswoggle {1973 - bamboozle, not 1913} |
| gobbledygook {1973 - babble, not 1913} | cryminintly { - my goodness!; neither (1913) or 1999 online Webster's appears to have anything similar } |
| hankering {1913 - desire} | fidgety {1913 - nervous} |
| highfalutin {1973 - fancy, not 1913} | patooties {jail} |
| gadget {1973 - thing, not 1913} | cahoots {1973 - allied, not 1913} |
| kitty-corner [catty-] {1973 - diagonal, not 1913} | skedaddle (1913 - flee) |
| cabood- {desire} | calaboose {1913 - jail} |
| caboodle (kit and) {1913 - entirety} | hoosegow {1973 - jail, not 1913} |
| shenanigans {1973 - mischief, not 1913} | doozy (2000 - 1916 - humdinger) |
other suggestions (not among my favorites)
addlepated {1973- confused}
bamboozle (1913 - deceive)
befuddle (1913 - confuse)
bellyaching {1973 - whining}
betwixt {1913 - between)
boondoggle {after 1913}
bushwhacker {1913 - guerilla}
comboberation {- seems to be a mix of conglomeration and combination; ; neither the 1913
or 1999 online Webster's appears to have anything similar}
come-uppance
confounded
cooties (after 1913)
cronies
discombobulate {1973 - confuse}
gumption {1913 - shrewdness}
hogflustered
gullywasher (after 1913)
gumption
hog-wild {1973}
humbug (1913 - hoax)
hunky-dory {1973}
hodge-podge
mollycoddle {1973, not 1913}
new-fangled
pea-brained
obfusticate {not in 1913}
stomping grounds
super-duper
rabblerouser
vittles {1973, though victuals is present in 1913}
willy-nilly
woozy {not in 1913}
Definitely not what I have in mind
ain't [ordinary slang]
dagnabit [interjection]
fiddlesticks [interjection]
gee-whilikers [interjection]
horsefeathers [interjection]
hot-diggety [interjection]
huggermugger [obscure]
yummy [ordinary slang]
suggested paradigm which adds to quaintness -- [c*v]*cm -- [c*v]*c*'e'c
See copyright notice.