Weird Words in English - 2

In the first installment of this series on "weird" or unusual words in English, we reviewed the definitions of bafflegab, humdudgeon, fanfaronade and foudroyant. For today’s column, here are a few more we will examine.

That movie was too pyknic. It seems as if I had just sat down to enjoy it, when all of a sudden it was over! | foto: Profimedia.cz

Angličtina na iDNES.cz
VŠECHNY LEKCE ZDE

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When something is pyknic, this means that it is short and fast. It could refer to the length and duration of something, or it could be used to describe the characteristics of a person or other living thing. Examples:

"That movie was too pyknic. It seems as if I had just sat down to enjoy it, when all of a sudden it was over!" or "Wild boars are rather pyknic, do not assume it is safe to be around them. They have been known to attack people."

Sitooterie
A sitooterie is a summer house or a gazebo. Examples:

"His family likes to go to their sitooterie in Egypt during the winter months, they do not like snow and cold weather" or "My parents are thinking of giving me their sitooterie in Monte Carlo, I am so lucky!"

Termagant
When someone is behaving like a termagant, this means that they are being what is called "mean-spirited" or harsh.

While this word originally referred to only women, it can be also used to describe men nowadays, although usage of this word is rare in modern English.

Mugwump
This word refers to a person who either does not care about controversial issues, or makes a point to avoid them, for whatever reasons. Examples:

"Boy, that politician is a real mugwump. He won’t take responsibility for anything, or talk about any issues that are important" or "My boss is a real mugwump, he won’t dare tell the President of our company that we should change our policies."

Unobtanium
This is a word that many native speakers of English do not really know is actually a real word!

When something is made of "unobtanium" this essentially means that it does NOT exist.

The word unobtainium refers to an element that is found in nature which is so rare, that it does not really exist! Examples:

"The government’s new budget proposal is being powered by unobtainium. There is no way this is going to work" or "This project has too much unobtainium in it. It is not possible to reach these targets unless we get some serious money to support us."

                    Joke of the Day

A Czech man goes into a Czech pub, orders three expensive beers and then drinks them one right after the other.

Observing this, the bartender comes up to the man and asks him WHY he doesn’t order one beer at a time, drink it, and then order another one when he’s ready?

"I know," replied the Czech man. "But you see, I have two brothers, we used to drink together all the time. When my older brother went to America and my other brother left to go live in Germany, we promised each other that we would always drink together, no matter where each of us lives."

After hearing the man’s story, the bartender had to agree. The Czech man thanked him for asking, and then left.

One week later, this same Czech man comes back to this same Czech pub. Instead of ordering three beers, this time he orders only two.

Noticing this, the bartender says to the man, "I’m sorry for the loss of one of your brothers. Here, these two beers are free."

"Well, thanks very much." the Czech man replied. "But my brothers are doing just fine. It is just that I decided to stop drinking myself!"

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