@ Wunder: It isn't just diseases that can have weird names. The weirdest medical term I've ever seen, was Otorhinolarygologist, the original name for an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist. Thankfully it has been sneezed down since then to Otolarygologist. Though somebody specialising in just ears & noses, leaving the throats to someone else, might be fairly called an Otorhinchologist. You might find others in the medical field. Of course, like many medical terms, the word is derived from the Greek words for Ear, Nose & Throat, just for the information of pet rhinos & Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, not to mention rabbits & other creatures, including humans.

Yes the various diseases called poxes do have a long history, one, called the Great Pox, (syphilis, I think? or was it something else?) having been brought into Europe by returning sailors & others from the New World after 1492. If you read historical fiction, or if you are Cleander on Speak like a Pirate Day you might say "A pox on those landlubbers who don't know a spar from a spear" . Smallpox was brought into Europe in the 7th Century AD, by Islamic invaders who were immune themselves, because they were camel herders, who had already suffered from camel pox. Edward Jenner noticed that Smallpox rarely affected dairy maids who had already suffered from cow pox, which is how he discovered immunisation, now called vaccination. That word comes from the French word for Cows by the way. La Vache qui rire (the cow that laughs) was a brand of cheese sold here. Do chickens get chicken pox, by the way?

Here's my weird word for the day: tintinnabulation, which means "the ringing of bells"

Have you ever seen anyone play music, using handbells, either alone or in concert with others? It is quite fascinating & enjoyable to listen to music played this way. We used to have church bells playing music as well as pealing in joy for weddings, & tolling for funerals but not so often these days, or only briefly. A church in London donated its church bells to the City of Perth in 1988, as a Carillon & there is also one in Lake Burley Griffin opposite Parliament House in Canberra. You'd hear much tintinnabulation there.

Otitis is earache by the way, whilst tinnitis is that maddening ringing in one's ears. Years ago I volunteered to work in a medical library where just about all the items there were about medicinal matters, so it was necessary to get a grip on medical terminology to keep them sorted. Latin is also a big contributor to professions like law & medicine. Anything with -ology or - ologist at the end of it refers to study or student in Greek.

I don't remember what it is off the top of my head anymore, but there's actually a word to describe a neighbor who's house is on fire.

I wonder about words all the time. And some make me laugh, like "taco". It just sounds funny to me.

Have you ever seen anyone play music, using handbells, either alone or in concert with others? It is quite fascinating & enjoyable to listen to music played this way. We used to have church bells playing music as well as pealing in joy for weddings, & tolling for funerals but not so often these days, or only briefly. A church in London donated its church bells to the City of Perth in 1988, as a Carillon & there is also one in Lake Burley Griffin opposite Parliament House in Canberra. You'd hear much tintinnabulation there.

Yes, I have been privileged to hear a handbell choir several years ago. Very nice.

And some make me laugh, like "taco". It just sounds funny to me.

Sorry, the idea of tacos just make me hungry to eat one . Beautiful, crispy taco shell with grated cheese, a bit of tomato or avocado & shredded lettuce, with salsa or guacamole. Possibly with cold roast chicken, beans or other meat filling. What a lovely range of ideas for a summer main meal. Probably ideal if one has coeliac disease, if it doesn't involve wheat flour.

I believe that the idea of tacos come somewhere from either Texas way or Mexico, originally. So it is not necessarily an abbreviation of something else, unlike similar words you'd find in Australia, where abbreviations are down to a fine art.
A tinny is not just "short" for a (used to be tin) can of nice cold refreshing ale, pilsener, or lager, to be drunk with one's summer lunch, if equally nice cold "soft drinks" or soda don't appeal. It can also refer to a small light aluminium rowing boat, possibly with an outboard motor on the back, useful for going fishing or swimming on a Sunday arvo (afternoon). Unfortunately, many inland rivers have run dry now.

I'm not sure that what you might call a "pick-up truck" is the same as what we call a utility truck, shortened to a utility, which has a 2 or more seated cabin with a fenced open tray on the back. They are often used by tradies (tradesmen), farmers, sportsmen, couriers & the like. In Australia, such a utility truck is always further abbreviated to a ute. I understand that native Americans can sometimes be of Ute heritage as well. It isn't the same thing at all. Maybe I should take a dekko (look) at some of these words... Aren't dialects & idioms fun!

Handbell choirs seemed to be quite popular some years back, and a church I attended had a good one. I enjoyed when they played for the offertory or special music.

wagga, I think our 'pickup trucks' are probably the same (or very similar) to your 'utes.' (Googling a US brand, say Ford F150, will give you an idea of what is in use here).

It's not exactly a weird word, but there is a phenomenon in which familiar words begin to look strange if they're seen too often in a short time. Among other things, it can be called semantic satiation. For example, many years ago I worked in a vegetable packing plant over the summer, loading cases of frozen peas onto pallets. After seeing the word "peas" several thousand times each night, it eventually looked like a really weird word.

Maybe you are right, Stargazer. Sleep in heavenly peas, perhaps? Having a peas full dinner?

wagga, I think our 'pickup trucks' are probably the same (or very similar) to your 'utes.' (Googling a US brand, say Ford F150, will give you an idea of what is in use here).

Yes I see what you mean. Your pick-up trucks tend to be a bit more "squarish" than do ours though.

We used to have fun with making sentences out of the names of commonly used herbs such as Rosemary, Basil, Sage, Parsley, Marjoram, Dill, and the like. Unfortunately I grew older & found out that I didn't have the Thyme.

After watching the latest episode of The Great British Baking Show, my new weird word is "Kardemummabullar" which is a type of Swedish bun and they have a festival on October 4th to celebrate them. They looked very tasty--I would love to be in Sweden next October and try one. (if only!)

I think my mother just got checked out a DVD of that show from the library.

I think my mother just got checked out a DVD of that show from the library.

It's one of my favorite shows on Netflix.

Last night we were watching an episode of "Father Brown" on Netflix and this word came up: "pulchritudinous", which means beautiful. When I see that word, I don't think "beautiful"!!

Last night we were watching an episode of "Father Brown" on Netflix and this word came up: "pulchritudinous", which means beautiful. When I see that word, I don't think "beautiful"!!

No, in my mind it goes with pusillanimous (lacking courage) and lachrymose (tearful) and maybe even with lassitude (indolent indifference). Definitely not "beautiful!"

Last night we were watching an episode of "Father Brown" on Netflix and this word came up: "pulchritudinous", which means beautiful. When I see that word, I don't think "beautiful"!!

No, I think of Latin masses, law & medical terms & much more, including Dr Cornelius' Pulverulentus Siccus' grammar book. Especially as it was Father Brown you were watching, not Mrs Brown's boys. "Pulchritudious", also makes me think of pasta puttanesco, ie a quick & easy pasta meal involving a sauce with anchovies, capers, olives, & tomatoes, not to mention garlic & chilli. The Latin term for a beautiful girl is puella pulchra, as opposed to a naughty girl (puella grata), so there you go. But then a tasty sauce might make a beautiful meal, regardless of whether it is in good taste to describe the "puella" who originally made it, as always "grata" as well as "pulchra".

We have a saying in Australia which goes something like this: "he/she has Buckleys Chance", ie little or no chance. Something like Hobson's Choice elsewhere, I've heard. In our case Buckley's Chance, Buckleys or none, or simply Buckley's, might refer to an escaped convict who turned up at the founding of Melbourne in Victoria, having lived with an aboriginal tribe since his escape. Do others have, or know of, similar expressions like Buckley's chance?

Reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) story of an ESL speaker, who complained:
You English are so strange! When there is a bare possibility that something will happen, you say it is a slim chance. But when there is no hope at all, you say, "Fat chance!"

After watching the latest episode of The Great British Baking Show, my new weird word is "Kardemummabullar" which is a type of Swedish bun and they have a festival on October 4th to celebrate them. They looked very tasty--I would love to be in Sweden next October and try one. (if only!)

It sounds like something that would go well with Octoberfest, all beer, schnitzels & strudels. Chicken Parmigiana is nice, too. We have an appeal where pubs & clubs have Parmy for a Farmer dinners the proceeds of which are donations to go to help farmers. I'll have to stop thinking about food, though.

There is one word I hear every now and then, Egregious, the meaning of which escapes me. I gather it is a rather pompous word for something disliked, or disapproved of, more to do with eggs being thrown rather than deliciously made omelettes, quiches & similar good meals.

"Larifari" - this is a German word that can mean carelessness, senseless chatter, or nonsense. I've always thought it sounded like such a fun & funny word!

There is one word I hear every now and then, Egregious, the meaning of which escapes me. I gather it is a rather pompous word for something disliked, or disapproved of, more to do with eggs being thrown rather than deliciously made omelettes, quiches & similar good meals.

Egregious--extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant (courtesy of Dictionary.com) I like the omelet idea better .

Speaking of pompous, how about "grandiloquence"? That word would get an awesome score in Scrabble, but would be really difficult to make.