Wordbay · Words you didn’t know
Words for things you didn’t know had a name
The plastic tip of a shoelace, the space between your eyebrows, the urge to throw someone out of a window: everyday things with names almost nobody uses.
Everyday (15)
- aglet noun. The small plastic or metal sheath on the end of a shoelace.
- defenestrate verb. To throw someone or something out of a window.
- ferrule noun. A metal ring or cap that strengthens the end of a stick, handle or tube.
- glabella noun. The smooth patch of skin between the eyebrows, just above the nose.
- interrobang noun. A punctuation mark that merges a question mark and an exclamation mark into one (‽).
- lunule noun. The pale half-moon at the base of a fingernail.
- mondegreen noun. A misheard phrase, especially a song lyric, that takes on a new and often funny meaning.
- obelus noun. The division sign ÷, or a dagger-shaped mark used to flag a doubtful passage or a footnote.
- pareidolia noun. The habit of seeing faces or meaningful shapes in random things, such as clouds or plug sockets.
- petrichor noun. The earthy smell that rises when rain falls after a long dry spell.
- philtrum noun. The small vertical groove that runs from the bottom of the nose to the top lip.
- phosphene noun. A spot or swirl of light you see without light entering the eye, as when you rub your closed eyes.
- spoonerism noun. A slip in which the first sounds of two words swap, like 'a blushing crow' for 'a crushing blow'.
- tittle noun. The small dot above a lowercase i or j.
- tsundoku noun. Buying books and letting them pile up unread.
Well-read (17)
- armscye noun. The armhole of a garment, where the sleeve is sewn in.
- callipygian adjective. Having beautifully shaped buttocks.
- crapulence noun. Sickness or sluggishness that follows eating or drinking far too much.
- dottle noun. The plug of half-burnt tobacco left at the bottom of a pipe after smoking.
- escutcheon noun. A small metal plate around a keyhole, handle or light switch.
- furcula noun. The forked bone in a bird's breast, better known as the wishbone.
- griffonage noun. Handwriting so careless that it can barely be read.
- kerf noun. The narrow slot a saw leaves behind as it cuts.
- lemniscate noun. A figure-of-eight curve lying on its side, used as the sign for infinity.
- lethologica noun. The maddening inability to recall a word you know perfectly well.
- muntin noun. One of the thin bars that divide a window into separate panes of glass.
- octothorpe noun. The # symbol, also called the hash or pound sign.
- pandiculation noun. Stretching and yawning at the same time, often on waking.
- pilcrow noun. The paragraph mark ¶.
- purlicue noun. The space between the thumb and the forefinger when the hand is spread.
- ullage noun. The empty space between the top of a liquid and the top of its bottle, cask or tank.
- zarf noun. A holder, often of ornate metal, for a cup that has no handle.
Advanced (12)
- acnestis noun. The spot on your back between the shoulder blades that you can't reach to scratch.
- apophenia noun. The tendency to see meaningful patterns or connections in random or unrelated things.
- borborygmus noun. A rumbling or gurgling noise made by gas moving through the intestines.
- eructation noun. A belch, or the act of belching.
- formication noun. A creeping feeling on the skin, as if insects were crawling over it.
- gongoozler noun. Someone who idly watches boats on a canal, especially as they go through the locks.
- horripilation noun. The bristling of the hairs on the skin from cold, fear or excitement.
- hypnopompic adjective. Belonging to the drowsy state just before you fully wake up.
- opsimath noun. A person who begins to learn or study late in life.
- sternutation noun. The act of sneezing, or a single sneeze.
- tmesis noun. Splitting a word or phrase by putting another word in the middle, as in 'abso-blooming-lutely'.
- vomitory noun. A passage in a stadium or theatre through which crowds pour in and out.