word of the day

[Jamber]

My word for today is 'milquetoast'. I'd never heard it before today and had to look it up.

Wikipedia:

'Milquetoast is an American English dysphemism for a weak, timid, or bland person.

'The word milquetoast derives from the name of Caspar Milquetoast, a diffident character in H. T. Webster's comic strip The Timid Soul.'

Have you stumbled across any unusual words recently?

cheers
Jennie

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

Toad-eater. Someone from medieval times who would work for a doctor by publicly pretending to eat a poisonous toad, and then being miraculously cured.

 

[Jamber]

Brilliant!
I was going to ask if 'toad-eater' is where we got 'toady' from (a fawner or flatterer). Then I bothered to check and found this:

'toady (n.) [...]
' "servile parasite," 1826, apparently shortened from toad-eater "fawning flatterer" (1742), originally referring to the assistant of a charlatan, who 'ate a toad (believed to be poisonous) to enable his master to display his skill in expelling the poison (1620s).' (Online Etymology Dictionary.)'

I had no idea of any of that. Thank you!

 

[Aidan of the tavern]

Here's one for us writers: "Monks and Friars" (at least I think it was monks). Anyway, they are forgotten printing terms for imperfections. A monk was a word or letter that was blotched with ink, while I think a friar was a word/letter that had been printed with too little ink and come out faint.

 

[CupofJoe]

Pulchritudinous

Characterized by or having great physical beauty and appeal.

Not an unknown word but I just love the sound of it...

 

[The Writer's Realms]

Preantepenultimate

A big word for "Fourth from last."

 

[Reaver]

Usetacould. Southern slang for a skill that one has lost.

For example:

John: Say Mary, can you ride a horse?

Mary: Naw, but I usetacould.