“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.”

- Damon Runyon

Hugger-mugger
(HUG ur MUG ur) n., vb., adj., adv.

Through all its uses as these various, hugger-mugger involves two basic concepts: secrecy and disorder: True, these are distinct concepts – except that acts committed clandestinely are apt to be done in haste, and consequently in disorder. In any case, as a noun, hugger-mugger means “secrecy, concealment” or “confusion, muddle”; as a transitive verb, “to conceal, hush up”; as an instransitive verb, “to act secretly,” sometimes “to seek secret counsel”; as an adjective, “secret” or “confused”; as an adverb, “secretly or in confusion.”

It was spelt hucker-mucker in the 16th century; there was a Middle English verb mokere (to conceal, hoard) and a Middle English verb moder (to muddle). Lots of possible derivations; something of a muddle in itself. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act IV, Scene 5), King Claudius, concerned about “the people muddled” as to the killing of Polonius, tells Queen Gertrude:

“…and we have done but greenly [foolishly] in hugger-mugger to intern him…”

Here Shakespeare uses hugger-mugger to mean “in secrecy and haste,” in a manner that would arouse suspicion of dirty work at the crossroads. Hugger-muggery means “secret doings,” suggesting haste, concealment and confusion – a word almost onomatopoeic, especially if prounounced in a stage whisper.

This selection is taken from the book, “1000 Most Challenging Words” by Norman W. Schur, ©1987 by the Ballantine Reference Library, Random House.

I post a weekly “Challenging Words” definition to call more attention to this delightful book and to promote interesting word usage in the blogosphere. I challenge other bloggers to work the current word into post sometime in the coming week. If you manage to do so, please leave a comment or a link to where I can find it.

Laconism
(LAK uh niz um) noun

We are more familiar with the adjective laconic (luh KON ik) than the noun laconism, a concise style of language, brevity; also applied to a short, pithy statement. Laconia was long ago a country in the southern part of Greece, with Sparta as its capital. The Spartans were concise, brusque, and pithy in their speech, hence, laconic, under which entry in this author’s book, 1000 Most Important Words we read: “Philip of Macedonia wrote to the Spartan officials: ‘If I enter Laconia, I will level Sparta to the ground.’ Their answer: ‘If.’ Ceasar’s famous ‘Veni, vidi, vici’ (‘I came, I saw, I conquered’) is a famous example of laconic speech – not a word wasted.”

When General Sir Charles Napier (1782-1855) finally completed the conquest of Sind, a province of India, the story goes, he cabled the War Office one word: “peccavi” (Latin for “I have sinned”). Quite a laconism, and quite a paronomasia (a pun or word play) in the bargain, even though the cable is generally believed to be apochryphal. And finally, the message radioed by an American pilot in World War II: “Sighted sub, sank same,” an alliterative laconism.

From the book,“1000 Most Challenging Words” by Norman W. Schur, ©1987 by the Ballantine Reference Library, Random House.

One of my favorite books to flip through is “1000 Most Challenging Words” by Norman W. Schur, ©1987 by the Ballantine Reference Library, Random House. The author not only defines and describes difficult words, but does so in a humorous way that makes me eager to work the word into conversation (or a blog post). Unfortunately, the book now appears to be out of print (although Amazon was able to eventually find a slightly-used edition for me after I lost my original copy.)

I thought I might start a weekly "Challenging Words" post to call more attention to this delightful book and promote interesting word usage in the blogosphere. I challenge other bloggers to work each word into post sometime in the coming week. If you manage to do so, please drop me a link or trackback so I can be sure to check it out.

This week's word:

Jugulate
(JOOH gyuh late) verb

To jugulate someone is to cut his throat or strangle him, both rather unpleasant procedures and obviously related (etymologically, not sociologically) to the jugular vein. But the word has a figurative and much more merciful use: to check or suppress by drastic measures, usually applied in medical parlance to the treatment of diseases. One case might be the amputation of an affected part, often the leg. Putting a gag into the mouth of a logorrhea sufferer would be less drastic, but might do the trick. Jugulate comes from Latin jugulatus, past participle of jugulare (to cut the throat of), based on jugulum (throat).

From the book, “1000 Most Challenging Words” by Norman W. Schur, ©1987 by the Ballantine Reference Library, Random House.