This is one of those books that I wish I could pour directly into my brain, but due to its slightly cumbersome dictionary-style format, it seems almost impossible to shove so many useful words into one’s vocabulary without group study sessions. If you have the desire to arrange one, however, please invite me!

A warning: if you are sensitive to uncritical sexism, ableism, homophobia, or transphobia, you may want to steer clear of this book: it certainly keeps its promise to “offend.” The words I have compiled here don’t, as far as I can tell, fall into any of these categories, so this post should be safe!

aerocolpos: (n) vaginal flatulence; air or gas trapped in the vagina

barkled: (adj) encrusted with dirt; used especially to describe a person’s skin

catarolysis: (n) the practice of cursing to let off steam

dysania: (n) difficulty getting out of bed in the morning

eisegetical: (adj) marked by a distorted explanation of text– especially Biblical text– to fit the meaning to preconceived notions

epicaricacy: (n) pleasure from the misfortunes of others

gound: (n) the crusty yellow substance that collects in the corners of one’s eyes while one sleeps

misologist: (n) one with a hatred of mental activity

potvaliant: (adj) bold or brave when drunk; more inclined to fight when inebriated

seeksorrow: (n) one who seeks to give himself vexation

sialoquent: (adj) apt to spray saliva when speaking

snurt: (v) to eject mucus from the nose when sneezing

spuddle: (v) to attend to trifling matters as though they were of the greatest importance

swedge: (v) to leave without paying one’s bill

verbigerator: (n) one who senselessly repeats cliches

I am so happy to have found the word “gound,” since my linguist friend and I were recently talking about geographical preferences for the name of that substance, and had no idea what it was actually called!