Vocabulary Mnemonics

January 18, 2025

Matt’s words

Dudgeon (n): fit of indignation; feeling offense

Usually used in the phrase “in high dudgeon.”

She ran out in high dudgeon.

Mnemonic: Think of a dungeon. If of being forced to go to the high dungeon. You’d have a fit of indignation.

Collywobbles (n): bellyache; butterflies

I have a bad case of the collywobbles

I always get the collywobbles on test day.

Mnemonic: This works is an example of “folk etymology” – changing unusual words into someone more familiar. For example, “woodchuck” comes from the Algonquian word “otchek.” This is an example of folk etymology.

Bonfire is ‘a good fire,’ from French bon, but it means ‘bonefire.’ Old bones were used as fuel down to the 1800s.

Think “cholera wobbles.”

Abibliophobia uh-bib-li-uh-fo-bee-yuh (n): fear of running out of things to read

At the end of every book I always experience abibliophobia.

Mnemonic: “A” means “not,” as in atypical. “Biblio” means “books.” “Phobia” means “fear.”

Put them together and you have a fear of not having books.

Donnybrook (n): melee; brawl

If anyone ever laughs in my face, this will lead to a donnybrook.

A donnybrook erupted after the soccer game.

Mnemonic 1: Donnybrook Fair is an event in Ireland where lots of brawls took place.

Mnemonic 2: Think of having to meet a mafia don at a brook. There’s going to be trouble.

Widdershins (adv): counterclockwise

The dancers moved widdershins around the stage.

Spin the wheel widdershins.

Mnemonic: Think of “wither shins.” They’re shins that go “withersoever” direction.

Dr. Mom’s words

Unclubbable (adj): a person lacking in social skills

Yet, as is often the case, even the most unclubbable individuals may attract enthusiasts. –Adrian Woolfson, Wall Street Journal, 31 July 2022

Mnemonic: This person is unable to get into a particular club. Not club able.

Genuflect (v): To bend your knee in an attitude of worship or obedience; often used to indicate obeisance or subservience

The strong-willed peasant refused to genuflect to the evil lord of the manor.

Mnemonic: It sounds like, “Jen, you flex (your knee).” Knee flexion means to bend the knee, a phrase often used to mean one who is subservient or deferential to someone else

Colloquial (adj): used in or characteristic of familiar, informal conversation

I always appreciated it when teachers used colloquial language to describe a difficult concept—at least at the beginning.

Mnemonic: Break the word into “co,” or with (as in co-worker, cooperate), loqui, which means to speak (e.g., loquacious, eloquent), and “al” at the end, or “all.” You’re with others having a conversation, and you want it to be understandable to all.   

Pastiche (n): a literary, musical, artistic, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work

The pianist was darn good at recognizing a pastiche of Beethoven’s sonatas due to long exposure to them.

Drawing from a pastiche of literary models, the novice began his first novel.

Mnemonic: You had previous expertise, or fit into a “past niche” in something, so you recognize a imitation when you see one.

Ken (n): the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge

        (v): to see, to recognize, to know (from the Scottish)

In The Sound of Music, Rolf sings to Leisl, “Timid and shy and scared are you of things beyond your ken.”

Do you ken what I mean?

Mnemonic: Barbie has her own personal Ken, and you have all your own personal ken (your knowledge, understanding, perceptions, etc.).

COLOSSAL COMPILATION:

Be prepared to suffer collywobbles when partnered with, as I was, a donnybrook-causing, unclubbable abibliophile who refuses to engage colloquially about anything beyond her ken, who has developed a fondness for widdershinning while square dancing, who genuflects to all the wrong people, and who is expert at reaching high dudgeon over a pastiche of all things James Bond.