How contemptible is your character? Is she a blellum? Could she be a buffarilla or a fa-ma-fuff? Would she be smart to marry a fritlag?
beldam, pixabay
Not all of these words can be found in today’s dictionaries, so where did I find them? I found them in word books, three of which are listed at the end of the article.
beldam – A beldam is a grandmother, but the dictionary says that this usage is obsolete. Besides, just being a grandmother does not make one contemptible.
It gives the second definition as a woman of advanced age. Seems to me that would fit grandmother too, but not all grandmothers are of advanced age. And not all women of advanced age are contemptible.
The third definition is the one of interest here: an old and loathsome woman, a raging woman. I like the way that it is defined in There’s A Word For It!: a foul, loathsome old woman.
blellum – Blellum is an obsolete Scottish word. It is an idle, indiscreet talker. You wouldn’t want to tell any secrets to a blellum. You wouldn’t want to confide in a blellum.
a grotesque old woman, wikipedia
buffarilla – I have to confess that I really like this word. In case you haven’t already figured it out, buffarilla is a blend of the words “buffalo” and “gorilla.” It would be used to describe an extremely ugly young woman, one with a face that only her parents could love.
caitiff – A caitiff is a despicable, wicked, or cowardly person. A caitiff would not make a good friend.
crambazzle – A crambazzle is a worn-out dissipated old man, one that is exhausted more by vicious indulgences or habits than by age.
cullion – A cullion is a rude, disagreeable, mean-spirited person.
dobby – A dobby is a fool. The character of Dobby in the Harry Potter series is perfectly named.
droud – This word rhymes with “brood.” A droud is an oafish woman.
fa-ma-fuff – A fa-ma-fuff is an old woman who talks and talks and talks. She rambles on and on and on about everything, especially matters that are trivial to others and maybe even to herself.
flyndrig – A flyndrig is a woman that is bold, shameless, and deceiving.
fritlag – Have you ever known a fritlag, a man who is worthless and good-for-nothing? This is a guy that you would never want to depend on.
harridan, Vocabulary, WordPress.com
guttersnipe – A gutter is the abode of those who live in degradation, squalor, etc. The verb form of snipe means to attack a person or a person’s work with petulant or snide criticism, especially anonymously or from a safe distance.
When we put gutter and snipe together, we have a guttersnipe. What is a guttersnipe? It is a street person, one who lives in the gutter, the lowest class of urban society.
harridan – A scolding, vicious woman is a harridan. Some would call her a hag or a shrew.
jade – A low or shrewish woman is a jade.
Fawning, Word Information, Words
lickspittle – A contemptible, fawning person, a creature so wretched and servile that he is willing to lick the spittle of his master, is a lickspittle.
mackabroin – A hideous old woman is a mackabroin.
mudsill – A coarse, ignorant person from the lowest stratum of society is a mudsill.
Writing Exercise:
Create a character for each type of contemptible person described above and file them away to use in one or more stories. Or create a story around one or more of the characters you’ve created.
Amazon Links:
The Gilded Tongue
There’s A Word For It!
2000 Most Challenging and Obscure Words
