10 Quirky English Words Every Writer Should Know (and Actually Use)

From Edie: Discover 10 quirky, fun English words writers love. From bumfuzzle to snollygoster, enrich your vocabulary and boost creativity with playful word choices.

10 Quirky English Words Every Writer Should Know (and Actually Use)

by Lori Hatcher

How many hours do writers invest in finding just the right word? We agonize over implied meaning, swap synonyms and antonyms, and study every nuance. Use just the right word and our sentence will soar. Use the wrong word, and it will bellyflop. 

Thankfully, the English language gives us a plethora of words to choose from. Approximately one million, if you include scientific names and chemical entities.

Just for fun, I went on a treasure hunt for quirky writerly words to keep on hand for the day our creativity crashes. I hope you enjoy my collection and will add your favorites in the comments.

10 Quirky Words for Writers 

1. Bumfuzzle

“Bumfuzzle” is a verb meaning “perplex” or “fluster.” It can also be written as the adjective “bumfuzzled,” which means being “in a state of bewilderment.” Merriam-Webster tells us that the word’s earliest use can be traced to 1873. It may be an alteration of other English terms such as “befuddle” and “dumbfound.”

Example: Sometimes the publishing process leaves me bumfuzzled.

2. Snollygoster

Although “snollygoster” sounds like a fictional Dr. Seuss creature, it actually refers to “an unprincipled but shrewd person.” By the 1850s, it was popular among those in the American South.

Wordsmarts.com tells us, “President Harry S. Truman used the word in a 1952 speech about his colleagues across the aisle, saying, ‘I wish some of these snollygosters would read the New Testament and perform accordingly.’” 

Example: Someone called Bob Hostetler a snollygoster, but I defended him.

3. Hullaballoo

This word causes the onomatopoeia meter to go off the charts. Can’t you just hear it? Hullaballoooooooooo! You can use this word when you’re talking about a commotion.

Example: You should have heard the hullaballoo our Word Weavers chapter made when Elizabeth’s book launched.

4. Conjubilant

Writers can use this word to describe a group that is shouting out in joy together.

Example: Our conjubilant Word Weavers chapter made quite the hullaballoo when the book reached the top ten on Amazon. 

5. Cattywampus

No, this isn’t a type of Indian money spent by felines. It’s a directional term that means the same thing as saying an object is catty-corner (or diagonal) from something else. 

Example: When I looked at the display in Barnes and Noble, I noticed that Jeannie’s book was positioned cattywampus from Lisa’s book

6. Octothorpe

Most people refer to the number symbol as a hashtag (#), but smart writers know that the real name for this symbol is an octothorpe.

Example: Don’t forget to add an octothorpe to your Facebook post when you share your BRMCWC pics.

7. Finifugal

This is what you’d call someone who is afraid of finishing anything. You know them. There’s at least one in every writers group. They bring the same piece to your critique meeting for years but never submit it.

Example: “That lady in the corner? That’s Mary the finifugal. She’s been working on the last chapter of her manuscript for 14 years.”

8. Flummoxed

You can use this word to describe how you feel when you’re completely confused.

Example: I let my characters take the reins in this story. Now they’ve driven me into a box canyon, and I have no idea how to write myself out of it. I’m simply flummoxed.

9. Collywobbles

The next time you have a stomach ache, you can use this word. Often heard in Britain, it describes the slightly-queasy, marginally nauseous feeling you get when you’ve eaten something that disagrees with you.

Example: I knew I shouldn’t have drowned my sorrows over that rejection letter by consuming a pound and a half of Reese’s peanut butter cups. Now I’ve got the collywobbles.

10. Floccinaucinihilipilification

One of the longest words in the English language, floccinaucinihilipilification refers to the estimation of something as worthless. 

Example: His spouse’s floccinaucinihilipilification of his writing dreams may have caused him to quit writing all together. 

There you have it, my friends. I hope you enjoyed my ten favorite quirky English words and their usage in the writerly world. 

Now it’s your turn. Which one of them is your favorite? Do you have a quirky word you’d like to add to the list? Leave it in a comment below, and remember to add the definition and an example. If you do, I might be conjubilant enough to raise a hullaballoo.

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10 Quirky English Words Every Writer Should Know (and Actually Use) from Lori Hatcher on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Since she was old enough to read a Little Golden Book, Lori Hatcher has been fascinated by words. She’s woven them into seven devotionals with Our Daily Bread Publishing, including her latest, Lord, I Believe: 60 Devotions for Your Troubled Heart. She shares them in writers workshops around the country, (including Florida Christian Writers Conference in October—see you there!) and has used them to encourage women’s ministry groups in the United States, Japan, Mexico, and Spain. Connect with her at LoriHatcher.com.