To start off 2026, I present to you 26 words you either never heard of OR you thought might not really be words. But they really are . . .
1 Bibelot – a small decorative object
2 Boondoggle – pointless but appears useful (like Doge)
3 Brouhaha – an uproar or commotion
4 Bumptious – annoyingly self-confident
5 Claptrap – silly or useless talk
6 Codswallop – nonsense
7 Collywobble – stomach discomfort
8 Druthers – personal preferences
9 Earworm – a song stuck in your head (“It’s a Small World, After All”)
10 Flimflam – deception or trickery
11 Futz – to mess around without purpose
12 Galumph – to move clumsily
13 Gigglemug – someone who always smiles
14 Higgledy-piggledy – jumbled or messy
15 Kibitz – to offer unwanted advice
16 Mugwump – someone who stays neutral
17 Mulligrubs – bad mood or blues
18 Natter – to chat casually
19 Popinjay – a vain, showy person.
20 Palaver – unnecessary talking
21 Panjandrum – an important person (or thinks so).
22 Slubberdegullion – a dirty, sloppy person.
23 Snollygoster – a clever but dishonest person
24 Snugglebug – a cuddly person.
25 Splendiferous – excellent or wonderful
26 Twaddle – silly talk
I recognize more of the words than I thought I would, but didn’t realize I live with a GIGGLEMUG.
You are lucky to live with a gigglemug!
How about ‘bumfuzzle”? I heard a lot growing up in Georgia. Example – ‘I’m totally bumfuzzled as to what she’s talking about.’
Thanks for the addition. I chose only 26 from the long list, so yes, there are more, and I am certain bumfuzzle is one of them!
As someone who loves unusual words, I’m thrilled to see ‘mugwump’ on the list. It’s funny how some of these words feel so old-fashioned yet still manage to describe things perfectly. It’s amazing how the English language keeps evolving with these quirky additions.
I noticed that most of them sounded like old words…I am sure they are. Thanks for the comment and for reading the blog post!