Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. This week’s topic was prompted by a meme sent to me by my friend Linda MacNeal that said: “Destinesia: (noun) When you get to where you intended to go, but forget why you were going there.” The illustration was not, as it should have been, of an open refrigerator door, but it did get me thinking about odd words that do or should exist, and other languages that have words we need. There is a day later this month dedicated to “Everyday Things You Didn’t Know Had Names,” but this issue is about so much more.

I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.

The Quirky Quote

If the English language made any sense, lackadaisical would have something to do with a shortage of flowers. ~ Doug Larson

The Quirky Facts

A variety of websites estimate that the English language has more than a million words, but only about 170,000 in current use. Most of us who are native speakers have a vocabulary of 20,000 – 35,000, but which of those in the 170,000 that we know varies from individual to individual.

If you’re a nurse or physician, you might know words like:

• Columella - the bottom part of your nose that separates your nostrils
• Glabella - the flat piece of skin between the eyebrows
• Tragus - the little lump of flesh in front of the ear canal

If you are a person into terms of venery (the naming of groups of creatures), you might know that:

• Murder describes a group of crows
• Unkindness describes a group of ravens
• Parliament describes a group of (obviously better thought of) owls

I personally am fond of words that begin with “phila” or “philo” which describes a lover of (for example):

• Philalethist – truth
• Philocalist – beauty
• Philotherian – animals

But I also enjoy reading about (seldom remembering) other unusual English words like:

• Eggcorn - a word or a phrase that is often used by mistake for another, such as when someone says “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”
• Ferrule – a rig or cap of metal that strengthens or joins two things, such as the metal band on the top of a pencil that holds an eraser in place
• Petrichor - the smell of fresh air after rain stops



And, of course, I like the silliness of neologisms (made-up words)

• Crapacity: The size of one's attic
• Goodzilla: a giant lizard that puts out forest fires by stamping on them

And the cleverness of redefined words like:

• Metronome – a small, bearded man from the city
• Propaganda – a gentlemanly goose

The Quirky Observations

In spite of the fact that we have a million English words to choose from, we keep finding a need to invent more. I have in hand the 2006 book Word Fugitives, in Pursuit of Wanted Words by Barbara Wallraff. Wanted words are those that are still needed to describe various conditions or situations. For example, Allison Johnson of Glendale, CA wrote, “I’m looking for a term that describes the momentary confusion experienced by everyone in the vicinity when a cell phone rings, and no one is sure if it is his/hers or not.” The author then describes a few of the terms submitted in response and chooses a favorite – in this case, pandephonium, suggested by several.

Other word solutions involve situations some of us might not want to admit, such as pushopathic for the urge we have to hurry along the person ahead of us in a revolving door. Still others are a bit strange, like wanting a word for “the fear of running over squirrels.” The author’s winning choice: swervousness. And then there’s the onomatopoeia of blork when you are so full from eating that you feel sick.

Changes are coming!

Wiser Now Wednesday is soon going to have a new name and other changes, and our website is getting a makeover. Watch for more news in the weeks ahead, and in the meantime, please keep spreading its joys to all the activity professionals, teachers, aging adults and their grandkids, and people in between that you know.

The Questions

• Do you find words interesting?
• Do you have favorite words because of their meanings or sounds?
• Is there any situation you’ve faced that needs a word?

The Quiz – Perfect Foreign Words

The other thing that appeared in my emailbox this week that convinced me to write about words was this: ”Scottish word of the week: Dumfungled – to be mentally and physically worn out.” How perfect is that? There are many wonderful words in foreign languages that say just what we were thinking. You can probably only guess at the answers in the following quiz, but aren’t the words themselves fascinating?

Can you match these words to their definition?

1. "Estrenar" — Spanish

2. "Gigil" — Tagalog

3. "Hygge" — Danish

4. "Koi No Yokan" — Japanese

5. "Lagom" — Swedish

6. "Pana po’o" — Hawaiian

7. "Shemomedjamo" – Georgian

8. "Tartle" — Scottish

a. A term for a "genial, and intimate feeling associated with sitting around a fire in the winter with close friends.

b. Extreme cuteness, or the irresistible urge to hug something cute.

c. When you scratch your head to help you remember something you've forgotten.

d. Describes wearing a clothing outfit for the first time.

e. When something is just the right amount, or living a balanced life.

f. When you just can't stop eating because something tastes so good.

g. A premonition of love; meeting someone and knowing you will inevitably fall in love with them.

h. Hesitating before introducing someone because you can't remember their name.

The Resources

• https://www.rd.com/list/names-of-things/
• There’s a Word for It! Charles Harrington Elster - https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Word-Revised-Grandiloquent-Guide/dp/1416510869
• Quiz source: https://www.insider.com/words-that-dont-translate-no-english-equivalent-2018-9#lagom-swedish-6

Photos were purchased from iStock.

• And, as always, check out www.WiserNow.com.

Answers to the quiz

1. d  2. b  3. a  4. g  5. e  6. c  7. f  8. h