1. gormless — stupid, lacking in intelligence or vitality
“If you are going to prefer the word of this gormless gamer to mine, so be it!”
2. gaum — to smear with a sticky substance
Though the handle of his baseball bat had been thoroughly gaumed with pine tar, it still slipped effortlessly out of his tight grip when he swung fiercely at a curve ball.
3. dubiety — doubt, the state of being dubious
He listened to his teenaged son’s explanation for the missing car fender with increasing dubiety.
4. thyratron — gas-filled cathode tube acting as electrical switch and rectifier
Though of course most old thyratrons have been replaced by the similarly named solid-state thyristors, the glass tubes are still used in high-power applications such as particle accelerators.
5. firkin — small cask for liquids, etc., holding a quarter of a barrel
The pony keg found at a frat boy’s football party is almost a direct descendant of the aledraper’s firkin, though the barrel of ale was of a greater volume than that used for kegs today.
6. underwood — small trees or shrubs grown beneath timber
In some cases clearing out the underwood allows the timber to grow larger and more quickly, though this will depend upon the specific situation.
7. vaticide — murderer of a prophet; act of killing a prophet
Though five men were charged with the murder of Joseph Smith, all were acquitted in the biased court and the vaticides were never punished for their crimes, at least not in this worldly life.
8. bumbaste — to beat on the buttocks; thus, to beat soundly
The snake oil salesman was bumbasted by his indignant audience before being driven out of town.
9. chicane — subterfuge, trick; to quibble, cavil
“What chicane is this?” he cried as he plucked the fake pornstache from the hapless salesman’s face.
10. wainscoting — paneling of walls or halls, often only on the lower section
If you insist on putting plywood panels on the walls of your basement, be sure to call it wainscoting when you try to sell your home.