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About This Quiz
You don't mean to brag, but you're an unapologetic word nerd. You "collect" new words from books, newspapers and dictionaries and wait breathlessly for the perfect time to use them in conversation. You correct your teacher's or boss' spelling mistakes (maybe not to their face). You wax poetic about the mythological or literary origins of your favorite words. You can spot a Latin or Greek root word from a mile away.
It's time, though, for word nerds to unite behind a more dignified, awe-inspiring moniker. There's "verbivore," a coinage by author Richard Lederer to describe a voracious word enthusiast. That's a nice one because it's easy to work it into mealtime conversations. "Are you a vegetarian or an omnivore?" a companion might ask. "Oh, no," you reply. "I'm strictly a verbivore."
You might also appreciate the appellation"logophile," which means a "lover of words" and has a scholarly sound to it. A word of caution, though: logophiles are likely to engage in "logomachies," which are intense debates over the correct meaning and usage of words.
Whatever you decide to call yourself, know that your word nerdiness is an attribute to celebrate. It's part of how you write, how you speak, how you think. And if it helps you crush your opponents in Words with Friends, all the better! So scroll down to take this quiz, show off your vocabulary and learn some new words to drop in confabulation.
"Quit your whinging!" is a phrase you're unlikely to hear on "Peppa Pig," even if it's British. What does it mean to "whinge"?
To complain
This British word looks like "whine," but the words have different etymologies. "Whinge" came from the Old English word "hwinsian," which means to moan unhappily. Yeah, sounds unpleasant.
To cheat
To lie
To slack off
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Scanning the local police blotter, you see someone described as a "biblioklept." What horrific crime has this person committed?
Vandalizing a school
Jaywalking
Using a fake weapon in a robbery
Stealing books
"Biblioklept" refers to a person who pilfers books. It comes from the root "biblio-," meaning book, and "kleptes," Greek for thief. Unhand that work of literature, cultured ruffian!
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People who "shilly-shally" are doing what?
Dancing
Hesitating
This word is like a cousin to "wishy-washy." It originated in the 1700s with indecisive people saying "Shall I? Shall I?" repeatedly. It can also mean to dawdle, like "dilly-dally."
Stargazing
Arguing
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You're such a word nerd, you don't just say "big." You say this gigantic synonym.
Lilliputian
Brobdingnagian
This is one of those fancy literary words. In Jonathan Swift's novel, "Gulliver's Travels," Brobdingnag is an imaginary land of giants. Bonus points if you recognize Lilliputian, too.
Adamantine
Quixotic
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You wouldn't want to go to a "hoosgow," knowing that it means this.
A jail
"Hoosgow" is a slang term that originated in the American West in the early 1900s. It's likely an incorrect pronunciation of "juzgado," the Spanish word for a court of law.
A dungeon
A dark alley
A haunted house
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A "blatherskite" is a person who does what?
Spouts nonsense
We all know at least one blatherskite, a silly person who doesn't stop jabbering. The word appeared in a Scottish song and was well known among soldiers during the American Revolution.
Skips work
Cleans obsessively
Befriends animals
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Which word means a halo of light around the head or body of a holy figure, such as in a painting?
Crepuscule
Obverse
Aureole
If you've seen religious paintings, then you've probably seen the "aureole," or radiance around holy people's heads. Beyonce could have another hit singing, "I can see your aureole ..."
Plication
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This word means both a "decisive argument" and a "decisive blow." Either way, it's decisive!
Sockdolager
The "sock" in this American slang term refers to hitting someone. It's unclear what "-dolager" means. President Lincoln heard a form of this word in the play at which he was killed.
Anopisthograph
Echolalia
Eyetooth
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What does "katzenjammer" mean?
A hangover
A feeling of distress
A great clamor
All of these
Put the German words for cat ("katze") and distress ("jammer") together, and you get this useful word to describe an uneasy feeling, a hangover or a din that aggravates the first two.
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If you wanted to describe a crafty, unprincipled person, you'd use this word.
Gobbet
Callithump
Flibbertigibbet
Snollygoster
Word experts aren't even sure where this one comes from, only that it's American slang from the 1840s. You can use this as a fun alternative to the more serious word, "Machiavellian."
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"The sea was angry that day, my friends," says George Costanza in an episode of "Seinfeld." He could also describe the sea as what?
Effulgent
Concomitant
Sectile
Wroth
"Wroth" is an Old English word that means angry, but also turbulent or stormy. It's a good way to describe either the weather or your boss when they catch you napping under your desk.
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If you grab someone by the "nuque," you're grabbing which part of the body?
Nape
Meaning the nape or back of the neck, "nuque" dates back to the late 1500s and comes from the French. Going further back, it evolved from the Latin and Arabic words for "spinal cord."
Elbow
Nose
Ankle
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Some teachers are "rhadamanthine," meaning this.
Strict
In Greek myth, Rhadamanthus was one of three judges who determined dead people's fate in the underworld. He was known as the inflexible, strict one. Hopefully, the other two were nicer.
Confusing
Talkative
Irritable
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An impish or mischievous person could also be called what?
Recalcitrant
Puckish
Puck in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is a merry imp, but the word originally had the more sinister meaning of "devil" in Old Norse. Good thing the Bard came along.
Jejune
Guileless
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Which of the following is another word for a procrastinator?
Jocularity
Cunctator
"Cunctator," or "delayer," was a name given to Roman General Fabius Maximus, who used strategic tactics to defeat Hannibal's army. We wish procrastination was still a positive trait.
Picaro
Potvaliancy
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A "poetaster" is best described as what?
A tangy drink
A fraying scarf
A substandard poet
Isn't English cool? There's even a word for a bad poet! This word has the Latin suffix "-aster," which indicates that something is not as good as the real thing. Everyone's a critic.
A branch used as a cane
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"Don't get in a swivet," you advise your friends. What does "swivet" mean?
An accident
An awkward situation
A fluster
An American word with an unknown origin, "swivet" describes the state of anxious excitement you're in when you rush out the door still wearing your slippers and forget your keys inside.
A petty argument
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The book you're reading has lots of "whangdoodles," which you know means what?
Curse words
Shapeshifting characters
Whimsical illustrations
Imaginary creatures
"Whangdoodle" is another Americanism of uncertain origin. Children's authors Roald Dahl and Julie Andrews (yes, that Julie Andrews) featured various whangdoodles in their books.
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A package arrives on your doorstep with "frangible" written on it in large letters. What does "frangible" mean?
Breakable
Yes, "frangible" is another way of saying "fragile." It derives from the Latin word "frangere," which means "to break." The average postal carrier might not know this though, so ...
Toxic
Malodorous
Stolen
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You tell a friend their house is "algid." What does that mean?
Messy
Cold
"Algid" may not be in popular use, but it's still an appropriate way to describe your bed mate's frigid feet under the covers. It also describes a type of malaria that involves clammy skin.
Cozy
Moldy
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Uh-oh, your friend has the "mulligrubs," also known as what?
A skin rash
A propensity to rhyme
Body odor
A grumpy mood
"Mulligrubs" dates back to the 1590s, but no one knows exactly how it formed. It means a case of the blues or, alternately, a colicky stomach. Use this word when your friend is cranky.
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Here's a fun hobby. A "phillumenist" is someone who collects these objects.
Stamps
Matchbooks
The giveaway in the word is "lumen," which is Latin for "light." And "phil" refers to loving something. Someone who's not a phillumenist is the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz."
Ceramic swans
Love letters
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Which of these words means "sarcastic" or "biting"?
Scabrous
Mordacious
"Mordacious" comes from the Latin word meaning "to bite," but it's used in a figurative sense to describe caustic, acerbic language. So no, your 2-year-old is probably not mordacious.
Insouciant
Concupiscible
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"Pukka" is a word of Indian origin meaning what?
Proper
"Pukka" comes from the Hindu word "pakka," which means "solid." It evolved to mean genuine, reliable or first-class. In modern British slang, something pukka is cool, awesome or hip.
Childlike
Gritty
Suspenseful
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If you're a "cruciverbalist," you enjoy doing what?
Sitting cross-legged
Solving crossword puzzles
Combining the Latin words for "cross" and "word," a cruciverbalist can refer to someone who either makes or solves crosswords. You can bet most avid cruciverbalists use a pen, too.
Singing in a foreign language
Displaying crucifixes
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When a kid says they want to be a "cicerone" when they grow up, you know that means what?
A taste tester
A politician
A tour guide
A cicerone is someone who guides sightseers. The word gets its name from Cicero, the famous Roman orator, because tour guides are supposed to be eloquent with their flowery descriptions.
A snake tamer
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To make an "autoschediastic" speech is to do what?
Stammer
Pontificate
Improvise
The next time you hear a public speaker speaking extemporaneously or off-hand, you can call them an autoschediast. But maybe save the comment for your friends, not the Q&A session.
Speak to oneself
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A "mishpocha" is what?
One's entire family or clan
This Yiddish word describes someone's relatives, both by blood and marriage, and close family friends. You can think of it as a tight-knit clan or a network of family and friends.
A mix of unrelated items
A hole in a pocket
The metal part of a pencil
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In "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," characters are petrified, or paralyzed, by the basilisk. They could also be described as what?
Gorgonized
"Gorgonize" comes from the Gorgons of Greek myth. Anyone who gazed at these snake-haired monsters would be turned to stone. The word means to hypnotize, mesmerize or petrify someone.
Tantalized
Enervated
Bamboozled
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"Your eyes are delightfully amygdaliform," you blurt out to your crush. You're describing their eyes as what?
Evenly spaced
Containing different colors
Almond shaped
"Amygdaliform" means having the curved shape of an almond. Blame your amygdala, the almond-shaped part of the brain responsible for strong emotions, for blurting out that mouthful!
Wise and omniscient
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What does "melliferous" mean?
Making honey
"Melliferous" comes from the Latin for "bearing honey," and that's exactly what it means. You might use the related word, "mellifluous," to describe someone with a voice sweet as honey.
Pleasant to hear
Having bad intentions
Sickly sweet
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How would you define "lickerish"?
A candy
Tasting of alcohol
Amusing
Greedy
"Lickerish" originally referred to a person who enjoys good food, or even the food itself. It evolved to mean "greedy" or "lustful," coming from the French word to describe debauchery.
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Glancing at the person in the car next to you, you're surprised to see them "farding!" What are they doing?
Applying makeup
"To fard" isn't commonly used in everyday speech, probably because it sounds like ... you know, that other thing. But it means to put on cosmetics. Whew, that isn't so bad!
Picking their nose
Wearing a mask
Passing wind
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When you comment on someone's "mansuetude," you're referring to what?
Gentleness
Coming from the Latin words for "hand" (manus) and "to accustom" (suescere), "mansuetude" means tameness or mildness. Remember to use this obscure word the next time you see a docile horse.
Beauty
Ruthlessness
Tenacity
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You woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and the day just continued to get worse. You'd describe your mood as "gloomy," or this word.
Prostrated
Lugubrious
"Lugubrious" comes from the Latin for "relating to mourning," and indeed, we've never heard a gloomier word. It works perfectly to describe an excessively doleful or melancholic person.
Exacerbated
Splenetic
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You Got:
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