Gallimaufry: A Hodgepodge of our Vanishing Vocabulary

by Michael Quinion

When did you last hear someone refer to the wireless? What was the original paraphernalia? Would you wear a billycock?

Language is always changing, and in A Hodge-Podge of Words Vanishing from Our Vocabulary Michael Quinion has gathered together some fascinating examples of words and meanings which have vanished from our language. Sometimes a word is lost when the thing it describes becomes obsolete, sometimes it survives in a figurative sense while the original meaning is lost, and sometimes it simply gives way to a more popular alternative. The story of these and many other words opens a window into the lives of past speakers of the English language.

Genres: Language, Nonfiction, Reference

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Phrodrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gallimaufry: A Hodgepodge of our Vanishing Vocabulary by Michael Quinion is not bad or poorly written. Likely most of its readers will report that they enjoyed it and found if fun and interesting. I will not deny these attributes. My question is around my expectations. When there is no more use for a word, that foodstuff, object or job no longer exists, it vanishes. At some time or another a reader may come across that word in an old book or play, and chose to wonder about it. Likely a few seconds of online research will uncover it with sufficient info to place that word in that read.

What I had hoped to read was words once common, or at least in specialized use and now forgotten. There is so much emphasis on limiting vocabulary to 6th or 9th grade reading level that words are lost from disuse. For example, a lot of people have felt like a mafflard – a stuttering or blundering fool. I vote for a return to active duty : Zyxt, Old English for “To See”. Hmm, might even work in the National Anthem- “Oh Say can you zyxt?.” Certainly will get you attention if you say: “There is none so blind as he who will not zyxt.” Booth good English words. Both having a place in common use. Either will get you in trouble with almost every English teacher, or publications editor. Greater shame on them.

Instead we get pages of unappealing variations on boiled fat mixed with grains and something else. Mostly my response to too many selected vanished words , was ‘So what.”

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally wizard-prang

[Danielle Routh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book's only shortcoming is rather intrinsic--so many of the words are SO far removed from our current oeuvre that, even with context and definition, they're not that interesting; plus, lack of etymology for some, though certainly not Quinion's fault, makes them less interesting still.

Overall, though, a fun read for anyone who's interested in the rise and fall of words. It was funny to see vinyls/records included as they've staged a comeback in popularity since this book's publishing.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun collection (thematically grouped) of vocabulary which has vanished from English usage -- exotic spices, a wide variety of horse-drawn coaches, hats, foods, and even more recent come-and-gone technologies. Quinion writes primarily from a British perspective, but still pulls in enough American parallels for someone over here to be able to follow along. It's interesting as well to read of how many words English adopted from other languages -- or pasted together itself from other language roots, or just made up out of whole cloth (a useful reminder for people who feel our vocabulary is out of control). A good resource for the historical reader (or writer), or even just someone who enjoys the richness of the language.

[Sarah Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little hop, skip, and jump through a garden variety of extinct and nearly-extinct words in the English verbiage. The most entertaining bits are those to do with food and fashion, but really this is a book to be read in fits and starts. Though Quinion is witty and -- as expected -- verbally dexterous, the words are simply grouped into different sections and then thrown at the reader in a somewhat numbing and nuance-free fashion. I do appreciate the attention paid to etymology, though I would have enjoyed Quinion's theories on why certain words survived and others did not, even granting that jargon changes along with the fashions and times.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting concept - exploring the roots and creations of various words that are vanishing from everyday usage - that feels more like a textbook than a sumptuous read. While a few of the words provide chuckles, most are locked into catagories of olden foods, disappeared card games, and faded technologies.

[Sandy D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for browsing - a collection of short explanations of words like gallimaufry ("a hash made up of odds and ends of leftovers"), and hodgepodge (which they call hotchpotch in the UK). I like the way it is organized, a chapter on food, on medicine & drs., travel, fashion, etc.

[John Murdoch · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in words, their history and origins, as I am, you will love this book.