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Some Unusual Words in Common Use in the UK with a brief meaning

  • Hullaballoo  -  a loud noise or condition of noisy confusion

  • Cacophony -  jarring, discordant sound, dissonance

  • Kerfuffle  -  a row, or a big fuss

  • Gobbledygook  -  unnecessarily complex language which is hard to understand (politicians use it!)

  • Flummox  -  confuse

  • Whippersnapper  -  an insignificant but pretentious or cheeky person, often a young boy

  • Ragamuffin  -  a child in ragged, ill-fitting clothes; a disreputable child

  • Gibberish  -  rapid chatter like that of monkeys, incomprehensible talk; nonsense

  • Poppycock  -  senseless chatter; to talk rubbish

  • Discombobulate  -  to confuse or disconcert; upset; frustrate

  • Lackadaisical  -  lazy and uncaring; a lack of effort involvement or interest

  • Cantankerous  -  quarrelsome, irritable, difficult to please

  • Collywobbles  -  an upset stomach (often due to having eaten food which is past its "use by" date)

  • Mollycoddle  -  to pamper or to be over-protective; to "wrap in cotton wool

  • Nincompoop  -  a stupid or foolish person; idiot

  • Skedaddle  -  to flee; to run away from; to scarper

  • Skullduggery  -  dishonest behaviour or trickery

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more coming …
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