6 More Weird English Words You Won't Believe!

7. Poppycock

Have you ever listened to somebody trying to talk about something that they know absolutely nothing about? Like, you know that what they’re saying is completely untrue, yet they insist on continuing to talk? Or where someone has told you some so-called facts that are totally wrong?

It’s highly likely that they’re talking poppycock!

No laughing! Poppycock has nothing to do with poppies (a type of flower) or cocks (a male bird and a slang term for a man’s intimate body parts!)
Poppycock actually came from the Dutch word pappekak, which is made from pap (soft) and kak (poop!). It’s been part of English since the 1800’s.

A: “Hey, did you know that if you keep your eyes open when you sneeze your eyes will fly out?”
B: “What a load of poppycock!”

8. Flummox

If you’re now feeling very confused you are also flummoxed(adjective)!

To flummox a person (verb) means to confuse them a lot.

It came into the English language in the middle of the 19th century. It was taken from dialects used in some parts of the UK.

9. Curmudgeon

Are you trying to find just the right word for someone who’s very bad-tempered and grumpy? Curmudgeon (noun) might be just the word that you’re looking for!

Dating back to at least the 16th century, this word has been used for a long time.

 “I don’t like our English teacher … he is a real curmudgeon!”

 

10. Lackadaisical

How about if you want to describe that someone’s lazy and has no enthusiasm or determination? Lackadaisical (adjective) would be perfect in this situation!

It’s been in use since the 1700’s, although where it came from isn’t clear.

For example,

“My sister has no job and is doing nothing to find one. She is so lackadaisical.”

 

11. Woebegone

Another terrific adjective. Can you guess what a woebegone person looks like?

It’s easy to break this word into two parts – woe (extreme sadness) and begone (an old-fashioned word that means surrounded by something). So, woebegone means “surrounded by sadness.” It comes from Middle English, English that was used during the Middle Ages.

The next time your friend looks sad, you can ask them,

“Why do you look so woebegone?”

12. Frankenfood

Very new when compared to all the others on the list, the word Frankenfood(noun) came into existence in the 1990’s.

It’s used informally for genetically modified (GM) foods. GM foods are those that have been scientifically altered in some way, that haven’t grown naturally.

Frankenfood is a combination of the words Frankenstein and food. Frankenstein is a story about a scientist, Dr. Frankenstein, who creates a monster in his laboratory.

You might hear people say, for example,

“I’m not eating there! They use Frankenfoods!”

 

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6 Weird English Words You won't Believe.

1. Kerfuffle (noun).   

If somebody asked you the following question, would you know what they meant?

“What’s all the shouting for? Why are you making such a kerfuffle?”

It means to make a fuss or a bother, usually when people have different points of view. Imagine two of your friends having a minor disagreement over something and making quite a bit of noise – doesn’t kerfuffle sound like a great way to describe the situation? They might also be making a hullaballoo too…

2. Hullaballoo (noun).

“Did you hear all that hullaballoo in the office today?”

A word that really sounds like what it means, hullaballoo (noun) is the loud noises and shouting that people make when they’re angry.

It’s been part of the English language since the middle of the 18th century.

3. Cacophony (noun).

Another word related to noise, a cacophony (noun) is a mixture of horrible sounds. Imagine birds screeching, alarm bells ringing and babies screaming…and you’ve got yourself a cacophony!

4. Ragamuffin (noun).

Ragamuffin, comes from the English that was used during the Middle Ages.

You’ve probably heard the word rag, right? A dirty and scruffy piece of old cloth. So it’ll make sense to know that a ragamuffin is a person who wears dirty and scruffy clothes – clothes that are just like rags! It’s usually used for children, and you may also sometimes hear it used to describe scruffy-looking animals.

“I send my children to school dressed smartly, and they come home like little ragamuffins!”

5. Whippersnapper (noun).

Nothing to do with whips or snaps, say whippersnapper (noun) quickly and you’ll create a funny and harsh sound!

Although this term is a little bit old-fashioned today, it’ll certainly make people smile if you use it. It’s been part of the English language since the 17th century and is a mixture of two terms. One referred to a lazy person who had no ambitions. The other term was used for young people who lived on the street and did bad things, like stealing and tricking people.

The meaning has changed over the years, and today it’s used for a young person who’s too confident and perhaps a little cheeky!

6. Gobbledygook (noun).

Created from the meaningless sound that turkeys make, gobbledygook was originally an American English word. It was created in the 1940’s to mean words that are nonsense or have no meaning. It also describes when people use too many technical words and so other people can’t understand what they’re saying.

“The Director was talking a load of gobbledygook in that meeting. I have no idea what he wants!”