A Few Words

Horripilation
     noun
a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold, fear, etc.; goose bumps.
etymology? From Latin horrere ‘stand on end’ + pilus ‘hair.’

I like this word a LOT.

Used in a sentence? The idea of Kari Lying Lake becoming governor of Arizona gives me stratospheric horripilation.

Metamorphose
     verb (used without object)
to undergo or be capable of undergoing a change in form or nature.

We all metamorphose at different times in our lives. Sometimes that’s on purpose. Sometimes it’s due to natural evolution. Me? I metamorphosed just last week. I’d been a buffalo—now, according to Ten, I’m a Tasmanian bunny devil. I have no idea what that looks like or what one would eat. I suspect bunny devils might be vegetarian. Ya know, like me!

Mezzaluna
     noun
a crescent-shaped, single- or double-bladed chopping knife, with a handle on each end or a connecting handle.

No, no, no—this is Italian for half moon and I won’t hear of any other definition. That’s it! 

Half moons—now I have a fierce cookie craving. Dammit!

Plastique
     noun
1) technique for mastering the art of slow, controlled movement and statue-like posing.
2) plastic explosive

How, I ask you HOW, can this word have two totally, couldn’t-be-more-different, meanings?
I think now is a good time to employ some plastique. Am I a choreographer or a terrorist? Context is only way to know what’s meant when a person uses this in a sentence.

Canicular
     adjective
pertaining to the rising of the Dog Star (also called Sirius) or to the star itself.

 Have no idea how I’d sneak this into a sentence BUT here are two examples from pro writer types:

...out over the water came the sudden capitous perfume of syringa, and the night grew unendurably canicular.
~ Alfred Budd, The Oxford Circus: A Novel of Oxford and Youth

He comprehended the pagan superstition, the holy horror of canicular noon-times on the shore inhabited by a cruel and occult god.
~ Gabriele D’Annunzio, The Triumph of Death

Cantrip
     noun
a magic spell; trick by sorcery.

This is what Cake does to Ten and me in order to score more catnip. We are cantripped by our beautiful boy.

Osculate
     verb (used with object)
to kiss.
Osculate,  “to kiss,” comes from the Latin verb ōsculārī “to kiss,” which is based on the noun ōsculum “kiss” or, literally, “little mouth.”

I like to osculate Ten.

Frondescence
     noun
leafage; foliage.

We’ve just passed the season of fluorescent frondescence.

Diglot
     adjective
spoken, written, or containing similar information in two different languages.

I can tell a motherfucker to piss off in a diglot manner.

Obelize
     verb (used with object)
to mark a word or passage with − or ÷ to point out spurious, corrupt, doubtful, or superfluous words or passages.

All TFG’s texts are heavily obelized to the point of being unreadable. To borrow from Mary McCarthy, this is because every word he writes is false, including ‘and’ and ‘but.’

Don't you feel all lexiconically enriched now? 'course you do!