Michigan's Wayne State University released its 15th annual list of "long-lost" words due for a comeback.
Here is the 2024 list:
- Blatherskite: A person who talks at great length without making much sense. The cable TV commentator was a blatherskite who produced 30 minutes of angry nonsense each night.
- Curglaff: The shock felt when one first plunges into cold water. He dove into the pool without thinking and the curglaff caused him to shriek when he came up for air.
- Dollop: A shapeless mass or blob of something, especially soft food. He sat down to enjoy a nice steak, grilled asparagus and a baked potato topped with a giant dollop of sour cream.
- Kaffeeklatsch: An informal social gathering at which coffee is served. After the kids got on the bus, the parents headed to the porch for their morning kaffeeklatsch.
- Pawky: Having a mocking or cynical sense of humor. He had a pawky wit that undercut his superiors' self-importance.
- Petrichor: pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. He walked outside after the storm, the petrichor lifting his spirits as he hiked around the campground.
- Pettifogger: An inferior legal practitioner, especially one who deals with petty cases or employs dubious practices. He started with dreams of being a Supreme Court justice but in practice he was just another ambulance-chasing pettifogger.
- Rawgabbit: A person who speaks confidently but ignorantly. My social media feed is filled with rawgabbits trying to explain everything from epidemiology to engineering.”
- Thunderplump: A heavy fall of rain during a thunderstorm. He'd hoped he could get home before the storm got too bad, but found himself instead jogging through a soggy thunderplump.
- Twankle: To twang with the fingers on a musical instrument. He sat on the porch as dusk rolled in, twankling an old childhood favorite on the banjo.
Source: Wayne State