Word for the Week: Collywobbles

Collywobbles. I heard that word for the first time in my entire life just a couple of weeks ago. According to merriam-webster.com, it means a bellyache. The freedictionary.com is a bit more prolific saying it means an upset stomach, acute diarrhea, or an intense feeling of nervousness.

Zack said it sounded like it should mean mismatched furniture. I have to agree. It sounds much more like a description of a messed up room than it does an upset stomach.

I can’t imagine I will ever use the word “collywobbles” in a sentence. Not for real, anyway. But I like saying it. Yep, it definitely goes on the list of fun words. Collywobbles.

Wikipedia lists “collywobbles” under British slang. So, maybe it’s one of those words the Brits use in everyday conversations that I find so oddly charming. “Goodness, mate, I do believe our bubble and squeak supper gave me collywobbles.”

Ugly Words

Years ago I worked in an in-house marketing department for a large corporation. My co-workers included three young women who were smart, creative, upwardly mobile...and very funny. One day, they got into a conversation about words, specifically words they thought sounded ugly when said out loud. So, they each made their own top-ten list of ugly words. It was a long time ago, and I can't remember all thirty words from their lists. But, several of the words were standouts, and they deserve recognition in a blog about ugly words. I've created my own list of ten ugly words which includes the girls' most memorable mentions.

1. trousers
2. ointment
3. blouse
4. glob
5. succotash
6. booger
7. punctual
8. bladder
9. plethora
10. gargantuan

Go ahead, try saying these words out loud. Don't you agree they sound ugly? They're not fun words to say. They don't roll off your tongue, but instead they feel sort of sticky on the roof of your mouth as you say them. They aren't words that are melodic or soothing, but rather they sound a bit curt or crass.

If you think about it, there are a lot of ugly words. I'm sure there are many, many words even uglier than those on my list. What are some of your favorite ugly words?

Words for Zack

Zack is my stepson. I met him when he was eight years old. He's now a tall, handsome 19-year-old getting ready to start his second year of college. He's a smart young man, and even though he would deny it, he shares my love of words.

A long time ago, when he was still a young boy, we started playing a game of sorts. When one of us would hear a word that, for whatever reason, sounded interesting or silly or fun to us, we would share it with the other. For example, words like juicy, peruse or overzealous are fun to say. Ointment, booger and punctual are rather ugly sounding words. The lists go on and on.

Zack has reluctantly agreed to be a contributor to my Word Droll blog. He'll provide commentary on the Word of the Week, and he'll give me many, many words to write about, I am sure.