Getting hitched is an expensive affair!
You definitely don’t want to be branded as the “wandought” at work, or anywhere for that matter. This term is used to describe an ineffective man, someone weak.
We all have a bit of a loiter-sacker in us. Meaning we all get lazy sometimes. This term was used in the 17th century to describe a slacker who does nothing all day.
Next time your kid misbehaves, call him/her a skelpie-limmer! The word, which was first coined by Scottish poet Robert Burns, basically means badly-behaved child.
“Yaldson” is a more sophisticated way to call someone a “son of a b****!” This 15th-century word literally meant “the son of a pro******.”
Tabloids live for it, and there is always one in the office. Who is it? The gossipy type, of course.
Road rage would be a lot more fun with people calling each other a “zounderkite” instead of an idiot!
Sources: (Mental Floss) (Dictionary.com)
The name comes from a namesake character in Laurence Sterne’s 1768 novel ‘A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy.’ The character was inspired by Scottish writer Tobias Smollett, and the term is used to describe people who always find a fault with everything (like Smollett did when he traveled).
Instead of “no time wasters,” you can use this wonderful term next time you put up an ad to sell something online.
The word derives from the toxic-smelling Stymphalian birds in Greeks mythology. People who stink would be called stymphalists.
You know those people who just can’t seem to be able to speak without shouting? You can call them klazomaniacs.
A sorner was a moocher who made a living by sponging off others. The word dates back to the 16th century.
Don’t be the person always interrupting others and contradicting what they say because you think you know better. Or in other words, don’t be a snoutband!
This is an old word used to describe someone who is disorganized and messy.
You know the visitor who just doesn’t go away? The person who stays until the host has to rake the dying coals in the fireplace? That’s a rakefire.
Are you a bit clumsy, or do you know someone who is? Use the word “stampcrab” next time you or the other person spill that coffee!
No one likes to work with a scobberlotcher. And this is because scobberlotchers are people who don’t like to work. The term likely has its origins in “scopperloit,” which is an Old English dialect word for a break or vacation.
You know those people who slobber and spit when they talk? You can call them bespawlers.
We all know that person who is always complaining. Or as they used to call them in the 18th century in northern England, a gnashgab.
Instead of saying someone was lethargic, in the 16th century they used the word "libberwort," which was actually a nickname derived from an imaginary plant that supposedly would cause sluggishness.
A muck-spout can be annoying and indeed unpleasant to be around. We’re talking about people who talk a lot and swear a lot, too.
We all know someone who is a bit lazy at work, or as the Victorians called it, someone who is a quisby.
This Old Irish term was used to describe a meddling person. So if you come across a person like this, call him/her a gobermouch and tell him/her to mind his/her own business!
This insult has its roots in the name of an old French scholar named Nicolas d’Orbellis. It means a pedantic, nit-picking teacher.
We’ve all met that person who is constantly lying, and bragging about their lies. Well, there used to be a name for these people: they’d be called abydocomists. It’s believed that the name dates back to the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos, whose inhabitants “were famous for inventing slanders and boasting of them,” according to a dictionary from the 19th century.
No, it’s not the name of a theme park. Our world is seemingly full of them, but nowadays we just tend to call these people useless. “Cumberworld” is a much better word, right?
Why call someone a fool when you can use the magnificent word “bobolyne” instead? The term was coined by one of Henry VIII’s schoolteachers, John Skelton.
Next time you refer to someone who commits adultery, call him/her a bedswerver. Shakespeare popularized the term and it became widely used in Victorian times.
Insults are an essential part of any language, and English is no exception. But instead of coming up with new terms for insults, in this gallery we propose going back in time and resurrecting Old English insults!
As you're about to find out, these are not only different, but many of them are also quite funny! Click through and learn the coolest old insults in the English language.
Some people become drate-pokes when they have one too many. Meaning they speak indistinctly and drawl their speech.
Can you imagine if the 2005 rom-com ‘Wedding Crashers’ was called ‘Smell-Feast’ instead? Well, it could have been. The term is used to describe freeloaders who turn up uninvited and expect to be fed.
Old English insults we should definitely bring back
Do you know someone who is an abydocomist?
LIFESTYLE Vocabulary
Insults are an essential part of any language, and English is no exception. But instead of coming up with new terms for insults, in this gallery we propose going back in time and resurrecting Old English insults!
As you're about to find out, these are not only different, but many of them are also quite funny! Click through and learn the coolest old insults in the English language.