fantod, fantad _ And commonly, the fantods The condition of being unstrung, ill at ease; of having the heebie-jeebies … The earliest citation is 1867 nautical, “a name given to the fidgets of officers.”
– A Third Browser’s Dictionary by John Ciardi
Category Archives: ADOTW
fistmeile A measurement derived from making a fist with the thumb raised. The distance between the lower part of the little finger and the tip of the thumb
– Glossary of medieval words at The Scriptorium : A Collection of All Things Medieval
NIGMENOG. A very silly fellow.
– 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
thick-coming (adj.) coming in crowds, frequently appearing Mac V.iii.38 [Doctor to Macbeth, of Lady Macbeth] she is troubled with thick-coming fancies / that keep her from her rest
– Shakespeare’s Words : A Glossary & Language Companion by David Crystal and Ben Crystal
bastard eigne n. Old English Law. the firstborn illegitimate son of parents who subsequently married and had a legitimate son.
– Dictionary of the Law, by James E. Clapp
ripesuck /RIPE suk/ n • One who is easily bribed.
– Depraved and Insulting English, by Peter Novobatsky and Ammon Shea
– Historical Dictionary of Slang, by J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley
forty-rod. The worst possible whiskey, said to be lethal at a distance of forty rods.
– The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage by Webb Garrison with Cheryl Garrison
to exco’ct. To boil up; to make by boiling.
– Johnson’s Dictionary : A Modern Selection, originally by Samuel Johnson, edited by E. L. McAdam and George Milne
I’ve been updating the way the Archaic Definition of the Week is archived in the dictionary page (see the link above).
The old style, just a list of links, was a bit clumsy and it led to artificial spikes in activity as readers found the list and clicked through it, word by word. It really played havoc with stats.
The new style is to list all the definitions together on the dictionary page. It’s taking a while, but I have now added all of the definitions back through 2011, including the ever-popular “Cat Wagons.”
If you like old words, check it out!