I wish I wasn't so Fubsy!

According to a recent article in the Times, Collins are planning to remove some little used words from their dictionaries, to make room for more modern ones [credit crunch, sub-prime, etc] This seems such a shame to me.

I shall endeavour to learn, and then use a few of them in conversation. Of course, I shall speak with mansuetude, and avoid being oppugnant!

But for now, I shall return to abstergent activities in the kitchen, and make the hob nitid.

I believe passionately in developing a good vocabulary and encouraging my pupils to do the same.

Abstergent Cleansing or scouring

Agrestic Rural; rustic; unpolished; uncouth

Apodeictic Unquestionably true by virtue of demonstration

Caducity Perishableness; senility

Caliginosity Dimness; darkness

Compossible Possible in coexistence with something else

Embrangle To confuse or entangle

Exuviate To shed (a skin or similar outer covering)

Fatidical Prophetic

Fubsy Short and stout; squat

Griseous Streaked or mixed with grey; somewhat grey

Malison A curse

Mansuetude Gentleness or mildness

Muliebrity The condition of being a woman

Niddering Cowardly

Nitid Bright; glistening

Olid Foul-smelling

Oppugnant Combative, antagonistic or contrary

Periapt A charm or amulet

Recrement Waste matter; refuse; dross

Roborant Tending to fortify or increase strength

Skirr A whirring or grating sound, as of the wings of birds in flight

Vaticinate To foretell; prophesy

Vilipend To treat or regard with contempt