Forgotten English Words – Time For a Comeback?

Some people love it when new words come out and get added to the dictionary, while others hate it. Personally, I am not yet convinced by modern words like Selfie, Twerking and Phablet, although I was immediately taken by Omnishambles when I first heard it.

What about the other words, though? You know, the ones no one ever bothers using these days? Do any of them deserve a comeback after years or even centuries of not being used?

Groak

This is one of the finest words I have ever come across, even if Spellchecker is defiantly advising me that what I really mean is Groan, Croak or even Greek. No, I mean Groak. What this old word means is the very specific act of silently watching someone eat in the hope that they might offer you some of their food. I remember that I used to work beside someone who was into groaking in a big way, especially when I used to take my famous cheese and pickle sandwiches in for lunch.

Tyromancy

If anyone has ever read your future in a bowl of cheese curds then you have witnessed the rather strange act of Tyromancy. It is described as being the act of divining through the use of the coagulation of cheese. I reckon that this has the making of a great televised sport. Can you imagine tuning in to the 2014 World Tyromancy Championships and being enthralled as all that cheese coagulates against the clock? Hang on though, wouldn’t we need to wait years to find out whose curd-based predictions had come true and was therefore the winner?

Hoddypeak

Do you know any Hoddypeaks? I bet you do. This is an antiquated way of describing a fool or an idiot. It sounds quite quaint and innocent now but if people started calling you it on a regular basis I am sure it would soon lose its appeal.

 Snow-broth

Maybe you have already heard of this word but I had never seen it until a few minutes ago. This is the type of melted snow that my mother would call Slush, which is another word I haven’t heard used for ages. Does everyone – except my mother – just call it melted snow these days? That's a trifle boring, if I am being honest.

Brabble

To Brabble is to argue quite noisily about something of little importance, which is something that Hoddypeaks do a lot. It is pretty annoying to see people Brabble. I would be pleased to see this word  added back into daily usage, even if I am not too keen on seeing a lot of people Brabble in my presence.

What other antiquated English words would you like to see make a comeback?