Obstropolos

Noun. An obstreperous mouth. Hark! Shut your obstropolos. – Ulysses, James Joyce (1922)  Leave it to the OED to give you a definition that you probably need to look up. Obstreperous: adj. … Continue Reading ⇒

Demonagerie

Noun. An assemblage of demons. Slavery..unless it had been now and then checked, would have transformed the earth ere now into a demonagerie. – Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine, XV p 433 … Continue Reading ⇒

Anemocracy

Noun. A government ruled by the wind. From the Greek for wind, anemo.   Such is the miserable and precarious state of an anemocracy, of a people who put their … Continue Reading ⇒

Sked

Verb. Schedule. Also common is past tense: skedded. MPTF protest rally skedded for monday. – Deadline Hollywood Daily This word caught me off-guard when I first read it. I had never … Continue Reading ⇒

Hello Mr. Internet!

Thanks for having me here. It’s been a short journey and I could have done it without any help. On Words and Upwards is open for business! Funny words, weird … Continue Reading ⇒

Mastering Shakespeare

by Scott Kaiser What is it that British actors have over American actors that aides in performing Shakespeare? Scott Kaiser raises this question in the introduction. Many American student actors … Continue Reading ⇒