Ammon Shea spent one year reading the Oxford English Dictionary, all 21,730 pages of it. He also published a book about the reading of the dictionary in which he lists his 26 favourite words in the English language.
Accismus — An insincere refusal of a thing that is desired.
Bayard — A person armed with the self-confidence of ignorance.
Compotation — An episode of drinking or carousing together.
Debag — To strip the pants from a person, either as a punishment or as a joke.
Exsibilation — The act of hissing someone off the stage.
Fornale — To spend one’s money before it has been earned.
Gaum — To stare vapidly.
Happify — To make happy.
Indread — To feel secret dread.
Jentacular — Of or pertaining to breakfast.
Kankedort — An awkward situation or affair.
Lant — To add urine to ale, in order to make it stronger.
Misdelight — Pleasure in something wrong.
Mumpsimus — A stubborn refusal to give up an archaism, especially in speech or language.
Nod-crafty — “Given to nodding the head with an air of great wisdom.”
Occasionet — A minor occasion.
Paradobre — A defense against bores.
Peristeronic — “Suggestive of pigeons.”
Quomodocunquinze — To make money in any way possible.
Rapin — An unruly art student.
Supersaliency — “The leaping of the male for the act of copulation.”
Tardiloquent — Talking slowly.
Umbriphilous — Fond of the shade.
Vocabularian — One who pays too much attention to words.
Wonderclout — A thing that is showy but worthless.
Zoilus — An envious critic.
(Via Jacket Copy)
