I slowly worked my way through the book Wicked. I can't say I enjoyed it really (it's not a light read at all), but I certainly learned a lot of new words.
Words I had never, ever heard before: mendacious, maunt, somnolence, lambent, vertiginous, badinage, ersatz, etiolated, amanuensis, louche, disquisitions, verdigrisian, sfumato, prehensile, fromp, spiniel, margreaves, sigils, ostlers, splenetic, zigguars, untrammeled, sententious, sophisters, ennui, truncheon, cudgel, baize, harridan, susurrating, cenotaph, sybarites, eyrie, contralto, antiphonal, aegis, turgid, palanquin, baldaquin, palavir, crenellations, bantam, doyenne, hellebore, usufruct, tripe, gormless, hinterland, tippets, skark, fewnets, inglenook, deshabille, hasps, bronchiating, breviaries, reconnoitering, libretti, colliery, troika, demesne, ormulu, deliquescence, moue, crepuscular, ovoid, trapunto, mountebank, tipple, betide, bruited, parlous, poxite, tippler, incunabulum, scarabee, fylfot, gammadion, carapace
Words I had heard, but still liked reading again: nabob, leathern, torpor, overmuch, riven, recitatives, barmy, frisson, fiddle, demur, coterie, dotage, dulcet, agog, iconoclasm, smarmy, torque, toddy, surfeit, noblesse, feckless, lambaste, maelstrom, witticism, aplomb, misbegotten
Words I just liked the sound of: widdershins, gobbet, lolloping, scree, codswallop, jollity, dropsical, flimflammed, knobjawed, tomfoolery, bombastic, pratfalling, hardscrabble, gabble, dogsbody, blitzkrieg, frippery, bumbershoot, pigspittle
Wow! This list is nearly unbelievable... and makes my head hurt. I never would have imagined that Wicked would have all those words in it... and am curious as to whether or not you stop and look each one up or just figure them out by context. And am amused yet again by your list-keeping tendencies.
ReplyDeletep.s. Wicked is one of my favorite musicals!
So funny - I had included a disclaimer at the end of this post saying that No, I still did not know what most of these words meant. And then I deleted it thinking no one cared about that. :) On that point though - if I don't look them up while reading, I certainly do before I post them. There are so many with this one, I didn't even do THAT this time. So if there's an ugly word/meaning in there, I don't know it. Yet.
ReplyDeleteThis book is like a couple Ken Follett books I've read - I'd never make it through a complete thought if I stopped to look up new words for the exact meaning.
I'm curious to see the musical now since the book has things in it I didn't expect. The musical must be G-rated. The book is not.
The musical is awesome! A friend of ours toured with the show playing understudy for Glinda a couple of years ago. We got to see her play Glinda in Pittsburg. Fun times! They do make the musical pretty G rated :) Wow, after seeing that list I'll pass on ever picking up the book.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah - I am so curious now to see how this depressing and complicated story about social class, family secrets, education, adultery, religion, government, racism, equality, and good/evil is translated into amusing entertainment. I'd like to see what parts of the books they pick and choose from for the musical. A
ReplyDeletePlus, who doesn't love a good musical?
Hmm... I'd be super curious to know how the book compares with the musical - which despite being a musical and entertaining it did touch on everything from your list except for adultery I think. You should definitely see it if you get the chance! And while it was amusing, it was also thought provoking and engaging and I found myself in tears more than once.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I want to see it even more!
ReplyDelete