A LOAD OF VERNOODLE? by Liz Manning

I’m a collector of words. I make lists of old words, slang words, local words, specialist subject words. And I love discovering new ones – the aptness, the rhythm, the onomatopoeia.

The constant evolution of language is one of its glories. I wrote a poem about it on my blog which you can find here: https://thestufflifeismadeofblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/where-do-new-words-come-from-five-minute-friday/. 

But isn’t that one of the wonders of being a writer? We can actively echo God’s creative process in the development of language through the formation of new stories, poems, or articles but also in the construction of words themselves. Look at Lewis Carroll or Gerard Manley Hopkins.

And it can be fun.

We had a go at this at our local ACW Group writing retreat day. Each of us made a quick list of random words, defined three of them, then passed the words alone to someone else to write their own definitions. These were the results:

JOLLYMARKS:

1.       The marks that develop along the sides of your mouth if you laugh a lot

2.       A nautical term; the dried residue of slobber or dribbling running down the chin, usually of someone who has overindulged in food or drink

CRACKLEMITE:

1.       The creature that lives in crisps and makes a sound when you try to them out of the packet without anyone noticing

2.       Slang for woodlouse, indicating the damage caused in wood, especially when holes run into grooves and patterns

FENSLEET:

1.       An isolated place where two rivers part and go in different directions

2.       From Lincolnshire: particularly prolonged and thick alternating rain and snow, reducing vision to a minimum

VERNOODLE:

1.       Jargon used to impress but with no specific meaning

2.       To develop an elaborate imaginative game for a child; it should involve no toys or items; it is entirely imaginary.

PLICK:

1.       A nervous habit of removing imagined fluff from clothes; Also used metaphorically: to focus on a person’s perceived flaws

2.       The noise made by sweet pea pods when they dry and open in the sun s that peas are shot out

QUANKED:

1.       Broken to the point of exhaustion; empty of energy and motivation to move

2.       The act of leaving a top undone so that a greasy or oily substance oozes out when it is knocked or tipped

LANT:

1.       A tree that has grown in inadequate light for example among other trees or over shadowed by buildings.

2.       When you start out with good intentions at the beginning of Lent but can’t keep them up

GRITLING:

1.       The noise made by heavy boots crunching on stones or gravel

2.       A small piece of stone or grit stuck in your shoe

SAMPINE:

1.       A plant that has started to open its leaves in spring but has been struck by frost; also used of a person who usually has a strong physique but looks tired and grey due to a shock or trauma, such as bereavement.

2.       The feeling of desolation you get when you long for the next episode of your favourite TV series

Why not have a go yourself? We could even start a chain in the Comments.

Liz Manning fits writing around being an Occupational Therapist, BB captain, wife, and mum to two adult sons. Or perhaps it's the other way round. She blogs regularly at 

https://thestufflifeismadeofblog.wordpress.com/