![]() ![]() Gibberish is an older term than gobbledegook. Gibberish (noun) means the same: nonsense words and phrases that sound like English but have little meaning. If someone is talking gobbledegook they’ll also be talking gibberish! The Director was talking a load of gobbledygook in that meeting. It also describes when people use too many technical words and so other people can’t understand what they’e saying. It was created in the 1940s to mean words that are nonsense or have no meaning. What sound does it make? Does it sound something like “gobble, gobble, gobble”? That’s exactly where this word came from!Ĭreated from the meaningless sound that turkeys make, gobbledygook (noun) was originally an American English word. Gobbledygook (ˈɡɒb(ə)ldɪˌɡuːk)Ĭlose your eyes for a second and think of a turkey. The meaning has changed over the years, and today it’s used for a young person who’s too confident and perhaps a little cheeky! It’s a perfect word to use for an inquisitive child who just can’t stop questioning and correcting their parents! 6. ![]() The other term was used for young people who lived on the street and did bad things, like stealing. One referred to a lazy person who had no ambitions. It’s been part of the English language since the 17th century and is a mixture of two terms. Nothing to do with whips or snaps, say whippersnapper (noun) quickly and you’ll create a funny and harsh sound!Īlthough this term is a little bit old-fashioned today, it’ll certainly make people smile if you use it. I send my children to school dressed smartly, and they come home like little ragamuffins! 5. It’s usually used for children, and you may also sometimes hear it used to describe scruffy-looking animals. So it’ll make sense to know that a ragamuffin is a person who wears dirty and scruffy clothes – clothes that are just like rags! You’ve probably heard the word rag, right? A dirty and scruffy piece of old cloth. Ragamuffin (noun) comes from the English that was used during the Middle Ages. Cacophony comes from a Greek word made up from kacos (bad) and phone (sound). You may already know that words that end in phone or phony are related to sound in some way. Imagine birds screeching, alarm bells ringing and babies screaming… and you’ve got yourself a cacophony! Cacophony (kəˈkɒf(ə)ni)Īnother word related to noise, a cacophony (noun) is a mixture of horrible sounds. It’s been part of the English language since the middle of the 18th century. “Did you hear all that hullaballoo in the office today?”Ī word that really sounds like what it means, hullaballoo (noun) is the loud noises and shouting that people make when they’re angry. What’s all the shouting for? Why are you making such a kerfuffle? 2. It means to make a fuss or a bother, usually when people have different points of view. Kerfuffle (noun) has been around since the early 1800s and probably came from either Scottish Gaelic or from Celtic Irish, the languages that were used historically in Scotland and Ireland. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. Lucky for you, this post will introduce you to 15 weird English words that you should know! English is especially known for having a crazy vocabulary that can make things tricky for learners.Įven if you’ve mastered all the important grammar rules, slang words and idioms, weird English words come along and can still leave you feeling a bit confused! Janu15 Weird English Words You Won’t Believe Exist!
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