Break Out the Bubbly

So one of my resolutions for 2011 is to try to post FWOTDs more often...but I've been a little preoccupied gearing up for the release of my first book (sadly, it's not Funny Word of the Day-related!). It's called Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired & Rewarded at Work (Career Press, Jan. 20, 2011), a career guide of sorts for anyone looking to stand out in the workplace. I co-wrote it with a good friend, Meryl Weinsaft Cooper, and we're very excited. Please support us by buying a copy and visiting our website and blog and following us on Twitter (@bestpublicist).

So, in honor of New Year's Eve, my favorite word of the day is bubbly.

Here's to some good bubbly tonight and a bubbly 2011!

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

Definition of BUBBLY

1

: full of bubbles : effervescent bubbly bottle of pop>

2

: full of or showing good spirits : lively, effusive

3

: resembling a bubble bubbly dome>

I'm so behind on this blog, it's not funny!

Apologies to anyone who follows this blog for being MIA. As you may know, I had a baby girl 9 mos ago and then started writing my first book, Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired & Rewarded at Work, which comes out Jan. 20, 2011 (you can pre-order a copy now!) so my time has been taken up with those two endeavors, not to mention my full time job. However, I have been trying to post FWOTDs on Twitter and Facebook on occasion.

To catch you up on the last few...

Thanksgiving: yams

Nov. 14: swoop

Nov. 12: blimp

Today's FWOTD: cubbyhole

Definition from Merriam-Webster: a small snug place (as for hiding or storage); also : a cramped space

Remember in elementary school, when every student would get a cubbyhole to put his or her belongings?

You are so wizard

funny word of the day: wizard

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

wizard (noun)

archaic : a wise man : sage

2

: one skilled in magic : sorcerer

3

: a very clever or skillful person wizards>

(verb)

archaic : having magical influence or power

2

archaic : of or relating to wizardry : enchanted

3

chiefly British : worthy of the highest praise : excellent

Or, from the Online Slang dictionary:

used to indicate that something is cool. Originated in Britain, popularized in modern slang by the movie Juno.

Wizards have played a part in some really good movies, including Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, Excalibur and Juno. And sometimes they're funny (even if they don't mean to be).

Oh, where does the time go?

If anyone's still reading my blog (ahem), I have to apologize for not posting very often. With a 6 month old daughter, a busy job and a book due tomorrow to my publisher (aaack!), I've been fairly preoccupied.

However, that does not mean I have not been using and thinking of funny words all the time. So...here's the latest:

funny word of the day: quaff

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

: to drink deeply

transitive verb

: to drink (a beverage) deeply

— quaff noun

— quaff·er noun

Examples of QUAFF

1. We stopped at a bar and quaffed a few beers.
2. car out of the snowdrift, we were ready to quaff some hot chocolate>

My own example: Once I hand in the manuscript for my book, BE YOUR OWN BEST PUBLICIST: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired and Rewarded at Work, written with my talented friend and co-author Meryl Weinsaft Cooper, I will definitely be quaffing some wine or Champagne in celebration!

Does anyone actually use this word?

Funny word of the day: fussbudget

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

fuss·bud·get

Pronunciation: \ˈfəs-ˌbə-jət\

Function: noun

Date: circa 1904

: one who fusses or is fussy especially about trifles

— fuss·bud·gety \-jə-tē\ adjective

NOTE: Sorry that I haven't posted in ages. Between caring for a 5 1/2 mo. old baby, dealing with a busy work schedule and working on a book that comes out in January (not about funny words, alas), I have not had much time to post. Thanks for your patience!

Har!

funny word of the day: scallywag

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

scal·a·wag

Variant(s): or scal·ly·wag \ˈska-li-ˌwag\

Function: noun

Etymology: origin unknown

Date: circa 1848

1 : scamp, reprobate
2 : a white Southerner acting in support of the reconstruction governments after the American Civil War often for private gain

I think scallywag can also be used to refer to a pirate. I learned this word from a song about pirates that I hear on the Toddles Tunes station on my TV that I now listen to every day with Emma. What has become of my life?

A Long Hiatus...

Apologies to anyone who follows my blog. I had a beautiful baby girl named Emma on Feb. 18th and I've been a little busy since then! I've been sporadically posting FWOTDs on Facebook and Twitter but haven't had a chance to blog. So here's a quick update...here are all the words I've done in the past few months:

1. funny word of the day (really should be of the month these days!): gumbo 1:50 PM Apr 21st
2. 
   
   funny word of the day: raccoon 7:31 PM Apr 9th
3. funny word of the day: clog 9:58 PM Apr 8th
4. 
   
   funny word of the day: curd 6:56 PM Apr 6th
5. Funny word of the day: kugel (happy Passover!) 3:59 PM Mar 29th
6. 
   
   funny word of the day: jester 9:47 PM Mar 28th
7. funny word of the day: skirmish 4:11 PM Mar 26th
8. funny word of the day: hefty 4:43 PM Mar 25th
9. funny word of the day: trample 2:54 PM Mar 21st
10. 
    
    funny word of the day: bundle 9:13 AM Mar 19th
11. 
    
    funny word of the day: gaga 9:08 PM Mar 16th
12. 
    
    funny word of the day: fidget 9:59 PM Mar 15th
13. funny word of the day: blooper 12:49 PM Mar 11th
14. 
    
    funny word of the day: snookered 8:02 PM Mar 6th
15. funny word of the day: puny 3:14 PM Mar 5th
16. funny word of the day: boobs (I'll stop with the baby-related words soon, don't worry!) 5:58 PM Mar 4th
17. funny word of the day: squirt 12:37 PM Mar 3rd
18. Apologies for not posting funny word of the day for a while -- I had a baby and she's taken priority! 1:12 PM Mar 2nd
19. funny word of the day: umbilical 1:11 PM Mar 2nd
20. funny word of the day: swaddle 7:02 PM Feb 23rd
21. 
    
    Funny word of the day: poop 7:57 PM Feb 20th
22. Funny word of the day: placenta 6:32 PM Feb 18th
23. funny word of the day: womb (yes, I have baby on the brain!) / more at http://www.funnywordoftheday.com/ 6:54 PM Feb 17th via web

No, That is Not a Picture of My Baby

funny word of the day: womb

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

womb

Pronunciation: \ˈwüm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English wamb, womb, from Old English; akin to Old High German wamba belly

Date: before 12th century

1 : uterus
2 a : a cavity or space that resembles a womb in containing and enveloping b : a place where something is generated

— wombed \ˈwümd\ adjective

As you may have guessed, at 38 weeks pregnant I have baby on the brain! When the little one arrives, I may have to take a hiatus from posting funny words of the day -- or it may become more like funny word of the week (or month depending how needy this kid is)!

Happy Valentine's Day

funny word of the day: aphrodisiac

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

aph·ro·di·si·ac

Pronunciation: \ˌa-frə-ˈdē-zē-ˌak, -ˈdi-zē-\

Function: noun

Etymology: Greek aphrodisiakos sexual, gem with aphrodisiac properties, from aphrodisia heterosexual pleasures, from neuter plural of aphrodisios of Aphrodite, from Aphroditē

Date: 1719

1 : an agent (as a food or drug) that arouses or is held to arouse sexual desire
2 : something that excites

— aphrodisiac also aph·ro·di·si·a·cal \ˌa-frə-di-ˈsī-ə-kəl, -ˈzī-\ adjective

Me So Corny!

Today's FWOTD: corny

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

1corny
Pronunciation: \ˈkȯr-nē\ Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): corn·i·er; corn·i·est Date: 14th century 1 archaic : tasting strongly of malt 2 : of or relating to corn 3 : mawkishly old-fashioned : tiresomely simple and sentimental — corn·i·ly \ˈkȯr-nə-lē\ adverb — corn·i·ness \ˈkȯr-nē-nəs\ noun

2corny Function: adjective Inflected Form(s): corn·i·er; corn·i·est Date: 1689 : relating to or having corns on the feet
Ew. The 2nd definition is really gross.

I haven't had time to post on the blog but here are the funny words you may have missed:

2/11: fetus

2/10: doofus

2/9: chirp

2/8: jumbo

Sounds Like an Old Jewish Lady Who Smokes

funny word of the day: fern

From Wikipedia:

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants ^[3]. Unlike mosses they have xylem and phloem (making them vascular plants). They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants. Ferns do not have either seeds or flowers (they reproduce via spores).

By far the largest group of ferns are the leptosporangiate ferns, but ferns as defined here (also called monilophytes) include horsetails, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. The term pteridophyte also refers to ferns (and possibly other seedless vascular plants; see classification section below).

Ferns first appear in the fossil record in the Carboniferous but many of the current families and species did not appear until roughly the late Cretaceous (after flowering plants came to dominate many environments).

Ferns are not of major economic importance, but some are grown or gathered for food, as ornamental plants, or for remediating contaminated soils. Some are significant weeds. They also feature in mythology, medicine, and art.

But I think it's funny because it reminds me of a leathery-tan, chain-smoking yenta who wears hot pink lipstick and introduces herself in a gravelly voice, "Fern here. Let's tawk."

They're Not Your Ilk

funny word of the day: ilk

Defintion from Merriam-Webster:

¹ilk

Pronunciation: \ˈilk\

Function: pronoun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ilca, from *i- that, the same (akin to Gothic is he, Latin, he, that) + *lik- form (whence Old English līc body) — more at iterate, like

Date: before 12th century

chiefly Scottish : same —used with that especially in the names of landed families

²ilk

Function: noun

Date: 1790

: sort, kind

Funnier than Butterfly

funny word of the day: pupa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pupa of the Cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha)

A pupa (Latin pupa for doll, pl: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

Pupation may be brief, for example 2 weeks as in monarch butterflies, or the pupa may enter dormancy or diapause until the appropriate season for the adult insect (in temperate climate pupae usually stay dormant during winter, in the tropics pupae usually do so during the dry season). Pupation may last weeks, months or even years. Anise Swallowtails sometimes emerge after years as a chrysalis.

Eager Beaver

funny word of the day: beaver

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

: ¹bea·ver

Pronunciation: \ˈbē-vər\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural beavers

Etymology: Middle English bever, from Old English beofor; akin to Old High German bibar beaver, and probably to Old English brūn brown — more at brown

Date: before 12th century

1 or plural beaver a : either of two large semiaquatic herbivorous rodents comprising a family (Castoridae including Castor canadensis of North America and C. fiber of Eurasia), having webbed hind feet and a broad flat scaly tail, and constructing dams and partially submerged lodges b : the fur or pelt of the beaver
2 a : a hat made of beaver fur or a fabric imitation b : silk hat
3 : a heavy fabric of felted wool or of cotton napped on both sides
4 usually vulgar : the pudenda of a woman

²beaver

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English baviere, from Middle French

Date: 15th century

1 : a piece of armor protecting the lower part of the face
2 : a helmet visor

Here are the FWOTDs from the past four days:

1/26 - gumption
1/25 - twerp
1/24 - dabble
1/23 - plop

I've decided to make a sentence out of them, as well as today's:

That twerp had the gumption to plop down next to me and ask me if, like him, I dabble in extramarital affairs and that he'd really like to see my beaver. Needless to say, I slapped him and ran away very fast.

It's Exhausting

funny word of the day: muffler

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

muf·fler

Pronunciation: \ˈmə-flər\

Function: noun

Date: circa 1536

1 a : a scarf worn around the neck b : something that hides or disguises
2 : a device to deaden noise; especially : one forming part of the exhaust system of an automotive vehicle

— muf·flered adjective

In high school, I drove a 1980 Datsun 310GX hatchback. I bought it from my sister for $107 and, though it was a clunker, it got me around (barely). One day I heard a really loud scraping sound and when I pulled into a parking lot, a man told me that my muffler was hanging off the back of my car and hitting the ground when I drove. It was completely rusted. My mechanic warned me not to drive more than 10 miles from my home in that car. But I kind of miss it now that I don't have a car at all.

You Dirty (Musk)rat

funny word of the day: muskrat

From Wikipedia:

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats. It plays an important role in nature and is a resource of food and fur for humans, as well as being an introduced species in much of its present range.

The muskrat is the largest species in the subfamily Arvicolinae; which includes 142 other species of rodents, mostly voles and lemmings. Muskrats are called "rats" in a general sense because they are medium-sized rodents with an adaptable lifestyle and an omnivorous diet. They are not, however, so-called "true rats", that is members of the genus Rattus.

The muskrat's name comes from the two scent glands which are found near its tail; they give off a strong "musky" odor which the muskrat uses to mark its territory.

Gross. I'm not a fan of anything that has "rat" in its name or resembles a rat. Even squirrels, which people think are cute, are really just tree rats (at least that's what my mom always told me growing up). The only muskrat I like is a Muppet-like character named Heddy Muskrat in the Jim Henson special "Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas," a modern-day musical fable based on The Gift of the Magi that is still one of my favorite holiday programs. Too bad my husband and I are virtually the only people who have ever seen it. I highly recommend it.

What a Boob!

funny word of the day: boob

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹boob

Pronunciation: \ˈbüb\

Function: noun

Etymology: short for ¹booby

Date: 1907

1 : a stupid awkward person : simpleton
2 : boor, philistine

— boob·ish \ˈbü-bish\ adjective

²boob

Function: noun

Etymology: ³boob

Date: 1934

British : mistake, blunder

Yesterday's FWOTD: snuggle

snug·gle

Pronunciation: \ˈsnə-gəl\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): snug·gled; snug·gling \-g(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology: frequentative of ¹snug

Date: 1687

intransitive verb : to curl up comfortably or cozilytransitive verb 1 : to draw close especially for comfort or in affection
2 : to make snug

— snuggle noun

Oh, Baloney!

funny word of the day: baloney

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹baloney variant of bologna

²ba·lo·ney

Variant(s): also bo·lo·ney \bə-ˈlō-nē\

Function: noun

Etymology: bologna

Date: 1922

: pretentious nonsense : bunkum —often used as a generalized expression of disagreement

As a food, I absolutely hate baloney. It may be because when I was a little girl and had an exceedingly high fever, I hallucinated that there was a piece of green baloney crawling up my wall. That was enough to make it an off-limits deli meat for the rest of my life.

However, I did like the song in the Oscar Meyer commercial that went "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R..." If you don't know it, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmPRHJd3uHI

By the way, you can also spell baloney "bologna" but it's funnier the other way.

She Doesn't Have All Her Marbles

funny word of the day: marble

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

mar·ble

Pronunciation: \ˈmär-bəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French marbre, from Latin marmor, from Greek marmaros

Date: 12th century

1 a : limestone that is more or less crystallized by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is capable of taking a high polish, and that is used especially in architecture and sculpture b : something (as a piece of sculpture) composed of or made from marble c : something suggesting marble (as in hardness, coldness, or smoothness)
2 a : a little ball made of a hard substance (as glass) and used in various games b plural but sing in constr : any of several games played with these little balls c plural : the rewards to be won in competition especially for a championship —used in the phrase all the marbles s>
3 : marbling
4 plural : elements of common sense; especially : sanity s — Arthur Miller>

— marble adjective

I always liked the feel of marbles and had some when I was little, not really sure why since I never learned to play the game. In fact, I don't know anyone who actually plays marbles but if you're interested in ordering some, check out this site: http://www.marblesmarbles.com/

Aren't You Saucy?

funny word of the day: saucy

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

saucy

Pronunciation: \ˈsȯ-sē, ˈsa-\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): sauc·i·er; sauc·i·est

Date: 1508

1 : served with or having the consistency of sauce
2 a : impertinently bold and impudent b : amusingly forward and flippant : irrepressible
3 : smart, trim

— sauc·i·ly \-sə-lē\ adverb

— sauc·i·ness \-sē-nəs\ noun

I especially like how Merriam-Webster uses the phrase "a saucy little hat" as an example. When have you ever heard anyone say that?

The Humpty Hump

funny word of the day: hump

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹hump

Pronunciation: \ˈhəmp\

Function: noun

Etymology: akin to Middle Low German hump bump, Dutch homp lump, chunk, Frisian homp, himp

Date: 1681

1 : a rounded protuberance: as a : humpback 1 b : a fleshy protuberance on the back of an animal (as a camel, bison, or whale) c (1) : mound, hummock (2) : mountain, range
2 British : a fit of depression or sulking
3 : a difficult, trying, or critical phase or obstacle —often used in the phrase over the hump

— humped adjective

²hump

Function: verb

Date: circa 1785

transitive verb 1 often vulgar : to copulate with
2 : to exert (oneself) vigorously
3 : to make humpbacked : hunch
4 chiefly British : to put or carry on the back : lug; also : transport intransitive verb 1 : to exert oneself : hustle
2 : to move swiftly : race

It Warms My Cockles

funny word of the day: cockle

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

¹cock·le

Pronunciation: \ˈkä-kəl\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English coccel

Date: before 12th century

: any of several weedy plants of the pink family; especially : corn cockle

²cockle

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English cokille, from Middle French coquille shell, modification of Latin conchylia, plural of conchylium, from Greek konchylion, from konchē conch

Date: 14th century

1 : any of various chiefly marine bivalve mollusks (family Cardiidae) having a shell with convex radially ribbed valves; especially : a common edible European bivalve (Cerastoderma edule syn. Cardium edule)
2 : cockleshell

³cockle

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English kokell, ultimately from Middle French coquillé wavy or rounded like a shell, from coquille

Date: 15th century

: pucker, wrinkle

— cockle verb

Growing up I always heard the below phrase and had no idea what it meant. Now I do -- and it just warms the cockles of my heart!

cockles of the heart

Etymology: perhaps from ²cockle

Date: 1671

: the core of one's being —usually used in the phrase warm the cockles of the heart

What Ever Happened to Shemp?

funny word of the day: stooge

From Wikipedia:

A stooge is generally defined as a person that is under the control of another. Being called a stooge is not a form of praise. Stooge can also sometimes be used to mean "idiot".

• Stooge (missile), an early surface-to-air missile
• Stooge (comedian), a member of a comedy double act who feeds lines to the other comedian
• Stooge, a confederate who acts as if s/he is one of the spectators, in a magic trick or a confidence trick, very much like a shill
• Stooge sort, a recursive sorting algorithm
• Stooge, a term in Australian slang where one has been ripped off eg. "He stooged me for five bucks"

Stooges may refer to:

• Three Stooges, a comedy group from the 1930s to the 1970s
• The Stooges, a late 1960s and early 1970s rock band

My husband came up with this one and I have to agree that it's funny, especially the Three Stooges. Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!

The Opposite of Classy?

funny word of the day: trashy

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

trashy

Pronunciation: \ˈtra-shē\

Function: adjective

Inflected Form(s): trash·i·er; trash·i·est

Date: circa 1620

1 : being, resembling, or containing trash : of inferior quality
2 : indecent

— trash·i·ly \-shə-lē\ adverb

— trash·i·ness noun

Ahoy, Matie!

funny word of the day: seaman

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

sea·man

Pronunciation: \ˈsē-mən\

Function: noun

Date: before 12th century

1 : sailor, mariner
2 a : any of the three ranks below petty officer in the navy or coast guard b : an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a seaman apprentice and below a petty officer

This word is the unfortunate synonym for another funny word (c'mon, you can figure it out) and the seaman's uniform can be funny too. However, it doesn't mean I don't have the utmost respect for the fine men who serve in our Navy. Really. I just prefer to call them sailors.

What I Feel Like Right Now

funny word of the day: blimp

Definition from Merriam-Webster:

blimp

Pronunciation: \ˈblimp\

Function: noun

Etymology: imitative; perhaps from the sound made by striking the gas bag with the thumb

Date: 1916

1 : an airship that maintains its form by pressure from contained gas
2 capitalized : colonel blimp

I wanted to pick a word that had relevance to New Year's Day but I couldn't think of one. I figure there are probably some blimps flying over the various Bowl games today so it was good enough. Here's to a great 2010 filled with lots of funny words!