Aunt Petunia's Old-fashioned Silly Word Quiz

Answer: Flummoxed

Flummoxed means bewildered or confused, with perhaps a little touch of exasperation thrown in.

Persnickety is from the late 1800s and means overly picky or snobby.

Highfalutin' also hails from the 1800s. "High" + "fluting" creates an image of one who thinks too highly of one's self. Satirical journalist H.L. Mencken referred to "Highfalutin'" as an example of American Folk speech.

Hoity-toity can be traced back to the late 1600s and means one that has a haughty attitude. It is an example of the linguistic process of rhyming reduplication, where the root on an original word is rhymed, thus creating a whole new word.

Answer: Mugwump

Mugwump is a word of Algonquin origin that means an independent or neutral politician. The word was used in 1884 America to describe Republicans who refused to support James Blaine's candidacy for president of the United States.

Lollygag is a wonderful word of unknown origin meaning fooling around or dawdling.

Tomfoolery means nonsensical or foolish behavior. The root of this word; "Thome fole" (Tom the fool) can be traced all the way back to Middle English of the 1300s.

Shenanigans are nonsense, but with a bit of mischief thrown in. It is an American word of unknown origins.

Answer: Cattywompus

Cattywompus means askew, crooked or just downright weird. Its history is pretty sketchy, but most seem to agree that it probably originated from the Southern United States.

Finnimbrun is a rare/obsolete word meaning "trinket" or "knick-knack". It dates back to at least the mid-1600s.

Gewgaws are not only trinkets, but are particularly useless trinkets at that! The word is Middle English in origin and dates all the way back to the late 1100s.

Gimcrack, like Gewgaw is a gaudy, useless type of trinket. Its origin is unknown, but the word can be traced back to the late 1600s.

Answer: Snickersnee

A snickersnee is a delightful old term for a large knife. Gilbert and Sullivan's Ko-Ko sang about using his snickersnee in The Mikado. This word probably comes from the obsolete Middle Dutch words steken (to stab) snijden (to cut).

Snollygoster is a person who can't be trusted (politicians in particular). It is a 19th Century American word which seems to derive from the word "snallygaster" which refers to a nightmarish monster.

A Rapscallion is a rogue or bad-guy. It evolved from the obsolete word "rascallion", from the Middle-English "rascal".

A Scalawag or scallywag is a disreputable person. The term originated in the American South and was used to refer to a white southern man who supported the federal government's post-Civil War reconstruction of the south.

Answer: A Ne'er do well

A Ne'er do well is an idle person, lacking in merit, but that doesn't mean they don't dress well! It probably began as a Scottish word made up of the contraction "Never do well" and was first seen in print in the mid 1700s.

A Ragamuffin is a poor individual, usually a child, dressed in rags. It comes from a late 1500s Middle English word "Ragamuffyn" which meant an oafish person dressed in rags.

A Tatterdemalion also means a person dressed in rags. Its origin is unknown, but it can be traced back to the early 1600s.

A Draggletail is slovenly, shabby person, usually a woman. The word can also suggest a sexually promiscuous woman. "Draggle" (to soil or get dirty by dragging on the ground), + tail makes this word fairly self-explanatory. It is believed to have originated in the late 1500s.

Answer: Scuttlebutt

Scuttlebutt originated in the late 18th century and meant the fresh drinking water on board a sailing ship. Today scuttlebutt refers to rumor or gossip. Perhaps this change in meaning evolved from the sailors gathering round for a drink of fresh water and exchanging stories.

A Jobbernowl is a foolish person, or blockhead. It originates from Old French "jobe" meaning stupid + "noll" meaning top of the head.

A Ninnyhammer is also a ridiculous or foolish person. The first record of the word appears in the late 1500's and appears to be a combination of the words ninny (fool) + hammer (meaning hammerheaded). Experts believe it to be a relative of the classic silly word, Nincompoop.

A Flibbertigibbet is a flighty and silly person. In modern use, it tends to refer to a woman, but originally the Middle English term referred to either sex.

Answer: Lubberwort

Lubberwort means food without any nutritional value, or junk food. In the 1540s lubberwort referred to the mythical herb that produces laziness. ("Lubber" being a mid-century word meaning a lazy, oafish-type person.)

Tarradiddle means pretentious speech or nonsense. It is of an unknown origin.

Gobbledegook also refers to meaningless words or jargon. Gobbledogook is a modern word created by Texas Congressman Maury Maverick in 1944. Frustrated with the verbiage used by his colleagues, he penned a memo banning "gobbledygook language". Apparently, he was visualizing strutting turkeys, mindlessly making gobbling sounds to each other.

Tommyrot means utter foolishness. The "Tommy" part of the word is similar in origin from the Tomfoolery, which is the Middle English word Thome (a silly man), + rot (nonsense).

Answer: Razzmatazz

Razzmatazz is a classic early 20th Century American word meaning razzle dazzle or a little showy action.

Hornswoggle refers to a cheat or hoax. First seen in the early 1800s, its origin is unknown.

Bamboozle means to deceive through trickery. It is an early word, from as early as the late 1600s. Its origin in unknown, but it has been speculated that it comes from the Scottish word "bombaze", which means to perplex.

Honeyfuggle means using flattery and sweet talk to deceive someone. Its origins are sketchy, but it appears to be a 19th century slang term, possibly Scottish in origin.

Answer: Shindig

A Shindig is a loud, raucous party. The word probably comes from "Shindy" which is a 19th century word meaning fracas or uproar.

Slugabed is one of those words that mean exactly what it sounds like it means: a slug-like individual who stays in bed long after they should have gotten up. Its first known use in print was back in the late 1500s.

A Scobberlotcher is an idle person who does nothing in particular. The origin of this word is unknown.

A Layabout, like Slugabed, pretty much defines itself: a lazy or loafing person. It is primarily a British term.

Answer: Humdudgeon

A humdudgeon is an imaginary illness or a complaint without a legitimate reason. A "dudgeon" is a mid 1500s word meaning offense or anger. At some point the "hum" was added.

Sockadolager is a large, decisive finishing blow, as in an argument. This word's origin is early 1800s America.

Lollapalooza is also an Americanism, probably from the early 1900's. It means an extraordinary event or amazing thing.

Ripsnorter means something fantastic and exciting, but it could also have a hint of violence with it. This again is an American word, probably from the early 1800s.