Weird Words

Hey-ho, it’s Rey.  The Boss is drowning on the 9-5/mom-care front, so I offered to step in.  Given she was posting about words the other day, I thought it might be kinda fun for the three of us to pick one that really bugs us (swearwords aside, of course).

Which one falls at the top of your list, Cousin Jilly?

Has to be fleered.  It’s such an odd, old-world word.  It means to smirk or laugh in contempt or disdain; a taunting, scoffing or scornful/derisive look or gibe (now, that’s another word that does not float my boat, gibe).  Which sounds better?

“Oh yeah?  Well, I don’t believe it, not one bit,” Thomas fleered, eyeing his brother with a critical eye.

“Oh yeah?  Well, I don’t believe it, not one bit,” Thomas scoffed, eyeing his brother with a critical eye.

I’m fleering as I read this. 

He-he.  And you, best friend, Lindy-Loo?

Thanks, Rey-Poo.  The weirdest word for me: soughed.  I always thought it meant to sigh, but it more so means to make a soft murmuring or rustling sound.  Hmm.  Can you rustle with your voice?  My example:

“But, Trevor dearheart, I cannot possibly cross to the other side in this elegant Victorian, cotton ball gown,” Elisabeth-May soughed as she fanned her rosy face and eyed the rippling river with dismay.

“But, Trevor dearheart, I cannot possibly cross to the other side in this elegant Victorian, cotton ball gown,” Elisabeth-May murmured as she fanned her rosy face and eyed the rippling river with dismay.

I’d just read a historical Civil War romance, so I felt an urge to set my example in that period.  Hmm.  I wonder, did women really sough in those days? 

And you, Rey?  What’s your word of choice?

A lot of words are weird for me, he-he-he.  A writer pal of JJ’s used japed—like what the bleep kind of word is that!?  I looked it up and it means to joke or quip (and quip means to make a quip—uh, yeah—which means a clever or witty remark).  Okay, whatever.  There’s no question which one of these is better . . .

“I’ve seen better looking bunnies,” Randy japed, scanning Mark in a pink, furry rabbit costume.

“I’ve seen better looking bunnies,” Randy joked, scanning Mark in a pink, furry rabbit costume.

Bonzo, my bunny, gave the idea for my example.  His fuzzy face is too cute by half.  And that, my friends, is not a jape.

So, there you have it, a not-so-weird little post for a wonderful mid-week Wednesday. 

Author: tylerus

I'm primarily a writer of fiction and blog posts, and a sometimes editor and proofreader of books, manuals, and film/television scripts. Fact-checking and researching, organizing and coordinating are skills and joys (I enjoy playing detective and developing structure). My fiction audience: lovers of female-sleuth mysteries. My genres of preference: mysteries (needless to say), women’s fiction, informative and helpful “affirmative” non-fiction. So-o, here I am, staring up a new blog for aspiring and established e-Book writers. The plan: to share the (long) journey of getting to this stage, and share "learnings" and "teachings". There's a lot I hope to accomplish with this blog, but it may be a while before that happens as there's a lot on the ol' plate - taking care of Mom, working full-time, and attempting to get another book in the Triple Threat Investigation Agency series written (never mind blog postings and other writing projects). It's very challenging and it's all good. As I like to say: teeny focused baby steps are just as effective as long forceful strides. It may take a little longer, but we will get there. View all posts by tylerus