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Animalia

One man's Duster is another man's California Towhee. There are always local names for the flora and fauna. The following words are the local names of many animals that are familiar to us through zoos, TV programs and actual encounters, but usually under a different name.

Ajaja: (n) a) the rosette spoonbill b) the stellers jay c) cactus wren. d) the flamingo

Alouatte: (n) a) the lion faced tamarin. b) tarsier c) the South American Howler Monkey d) the common field mouse.

Hackee: (n) a) a horse that pulls a single rider on a small, light weight buggy, c) a tubercular farm animal on it’s last leg. c) a green jay, common to the American North East, also known as the coughing jay d) the chipmunk, so called for the noise it makes

Kaka: (n) a) a parrot of New Zealand (Nestor meridonalis) having a brown body marked with other colors. b) any animal that defecates in it’s nest or dwelling c) the Chilean rooster d) a small spotted cat that lives on the Serengeti

Miniver: (n) a) a miniature horse strong enough to pull a child’s livery, b) a mythical creature that begins life as a seal, walks on land as a woman and then must return to the sea every ten years, c) an ermine in it’s white phase, d) a door mouse


Narwhal: (n) a) a male deer with a rack of antlers suitable for hanging on a wall, b) a walrus-like mammal with a spotted coat single long tusk, hunted for it’s ivory, c) the call of Alaskan whalers when they spot a whale in the hunt, d) a kind of seagull that can swim through oil spills with very little ill effect.

Natterjack: (n) a) another name for the jackdaw, b) a black and grey Eurasian crow c) a local Irish name for a rodent that appears to whisper to itself while it eats, d) the common toad of Western Europe.

Oii: (n) a) the female hippopotamus, b) the New Zealand mutton-bird, c) an Andean Condor d) a toad named after the sound it makes

Okapi: (n) a) the black capped chickadee, b) a breed of fish that lives in the Amazon who’s upper scales make it almost impossible to see unless underwater, c) a pet mouse that travels inside a hat or cap, d) a giraffe-like animal with a shorter neck, stripes instead of spots and a long blue tongue.

Veery: (n) a) the brown & white thrush b) a breed of African bees c) green frog from south of the boarder, d) any pest animal that congregates in Western Australia

Key: Throw the Bones and Watch the Skies

Aeromancy: (n) a) weather forecasting/ reading fortunes by watching wind & air.

Aleuromancy: (n) a) fortunetelling with flour

Cartomancy: (n) d) telling fortunes with cards

Catoptromancy: n. b) fortune telling with mirrors.

Cleromancy: (n) a) divination with dice

Gyromancy: (n) c) divination performed by walking around a circle

Hieromancy: (n) b) telling of fortunes by observing & interpreting sacrifices.

Keraunoscopia: (n) d)using thunder to tell fortunes

Lampadedromy: n. b) fortune telling with the torch of a flame.

Myomancy: (n) a) divination by watching mice

Necyomancy :(n) d) fortunetelling by summoning the devil

Omphalomancy: n. a) predicting the number of children a mother will bear by counting the knots on the umbilical chord of her first born.

Oenomancy: a) fortune telling with wine.

Pegomancy: (n) d) divination by watching bubbles rise in a fountain

Throw the Bones and Watch the Skies

Throw the Bones and Watch the Skies

As long as people have been aware that there was a tomorrow, they have hoped to find some way to discover the secrets of the future. Each of the following words is a method of fortune telling or seeking of foreknowledge. See if you can divine the definitions of the words below.

Aeromancy: (n) a) forecasting the fate of airplanes. b)weather forecasting/ reading fortunes by watching wind & air. c) bird watching for future profit. d) using arrows shot into the air to tell the future.

Aleuromancy: (n) a) fortunetelling with flour. b) being able to tell when a young woman will wed. c) divination using aluminum cans. d) flirting with danger when seeking one’s fate.

Cartomancy: (n) a) being able to tell when someone is “putting the cart before the horse.” b) mapping out one’s future. c) using the tracks of a cart to see one’s path. d) divination with cards

Catoptromancy: (n). a) learning one’s future from cats. b)fortune telling with mirrors.c) using the lines on the forehead to tell someone’s future. d) divination with hats.

Cleromancy: (n) a) divination with dice. b) the future of clerical workers. c) literally- “clear sight” into the future. d) divination with rain water.

Gyromancy: (n) a) spinning like a dervish to achieve a trance state for the purpose of fortunetelling. b) use of gyroscope to see the future . c) divination performed by walking around a circle d.) predicting the future of the planet by subtle changes in the electromagnetic field that surrounds the planet.

Hieromancy (n) a) predicting who will be the next king,
b) telling of fortunes by observing & interpreting sacrifices,
c) fortunetelling using hair, d) telling the fortunes of a person's children, not the person themselves.

Keraunoscopia: (n) a) fortunetelling by looking at solar flares and the corona of the sun, b) using small burning pools of kerosene to divine the future, c) telling the fortune of the blind, d) using thunder to tell fortunes

Lampadedromy: n. a) knowing which person at the party is most likely to dance on the table wearing only a lamp shade. b) fortune telling with the flame of a torch. c) using lampreys in predicting the future of the fish catch. d) divination using tea leaves.

Myomancy: (n) a) divination with mushrooms or fungus. b) divination by watching mice, c) telling your own fortune, d) using chanting to achieve a trance state to predict future events.

Necyomancy :(n) a) using the property of the dead to discern the fortunes of their children. b) tossing disc shaped candies onto a soft surface and reading the future in the pattern in which they land. c) divination by candlelight. d) fortunetelling by summoning the devil.

Omphalomancy: n. a) predicting the number of children a mother will bear by counting the knots on the umbilical chord of her first born. b) predicting the number of wives or sexual partners a man will have by marks or bumps on the phallus, c) divining the future by chanting "Om," d) predicting the numbers times someone will have to fail at something before they succeed.

Oenomancy:(n) a) fortune telling with wine. b) fortune telling where only the negative is emphasized. c) divination by burning cork. d) a fortune told for a child before it’s birth.

Palmistry: (n) a) divination using palm fronds from the date palm tree, common to Oceania b) divination by reading the lines on the hands. c) a trick practiced by some unscrupulous fortune tellers where by they distract the client and an accomplice steals money or jewelry. d) a way of telling who’s cheating at cards.

Pegomancy: (n) a) telling fortunes by reading the random pattern of pegs tossed into the air. b) fortunetelling by one legged pirates. c) knowing when tight legged pants will come back into vogue. d) divination by watching bubbles rise in a fountain

Key: Eat Drink and Be Merry

Eat Drink and Be Merry
Answer Key

Allotriophagy: (n) d) craving of strange foods

Bananavorious: (adj) c) eating mostly bananas

Chankings (n) a) spat out food; i.e. rinds, pits and small bones.

Chtonophagia: (n) b) eating dirt

Dipsetic: (adj) a) thirst provoking

Discubation: (n) b) reclining during meals

Esculent: (adj) b) edible

Galactophagist: (n) d) one who drinks milk

Glycolimia: (n) d) craving for sweet foods

Ingluvious: (adj) a) given to excessive eating

Mycophagy: (n) c) eating of mushrooms or other fungus

Nucivorous: (adj) nut eating

Oligophagous: (adj) b) eating only certain foods

Theophagy: (n) b) Literally “God- Eating” the ritual practice of communion.

Key: The road to nowhere

Carfax: d)a place where four or more roads intersect.

Circumnavigate: b) to travel completely around something, especially by water

Exodous: d) mass departure

Expedition: c) journey made for a particular purpose

Funambulation: (n) a) dancing or walking on a tightrope

Junket: a) a) a trip made by an official at public expense.

Mundivagant: (n) d) wandering all over the world

Noctambulation: (n) a) sleep-walking

Noctivagation: (n) c) wandering around or traveling at night

Oikofugic: n. b) obsessive wandering

Eat, Drink and Make Merry

Eat, Drink and Make Merry

Face it, one of the few things I like more than words is food.
All of the following words pertain to food or drink in some way. Some definitions are pretty straight forward. Others may make you want to leave the table.

Allotriophagy: (n) a) eating all of the time b) a theory of food combining where protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber must be eaten in equal amounts at the same time. c) an open air, communal, Roman kitchen. d) craving of strange foods

Bananavorious: (adj) a) allergic to bananas. b) craving bananas. c) eating a diet almost exclusively consisting of bananas. d) craving foods with yellow dye.

Chankings (n) a) spat out food; i.e. rinds, pits and small bones. b) edible intestines of pork of beef. c) candy necklaces. d) Chinese food cooked in the style of the Northern provinces.

Chthonophagia: (n) a) trauma associated with food. b) eating dirt. c) food of the underworld gods. d) food of the dead.

Culinary: (adj) a) an accumulation of food. b) the art of slicing and cutting for garnishing. c) of or related to cooking. d) cleaning fish.

Dipsetic: (adj) a) thirst provoking. b) causing dyspepsia. c) describing foods that are better with dip or sauces. d) adding gelatin to factory baked goods to make them set better and keep from breaking up during shipping.

Discubation: (n) a) cooking chicks in the eggs, a Roman delicacy. b) reclining during meals. c) round cakes or pastries. d) a movement towards more natural, less processed foods.

Esculent: (adj) a) delectable b) edible. c) poisonous. d) fattening

Galactophagist: (n) a) one who’s appetite is enormous. b) a cook who specializes in cooking with dairy products. c) a person who inspects food for insect larva. d) one who drinks milk

Glycolimia: (n) a) inability to digest sugars. b) sugar water used in iv drip. c) adding sugar or honey to beans or legumes. d) craving for sweet foods

Ingluvious: (adj) a) given to excessive eating. b) food that “sticks to the ribs” c) tending to indulge in sweets. d) requiring intravenous feeding.

Mycophagy: (n) a) a disorder where a person hordes food, normally triggered by long periods of food deprivation. b) eating of foods believed to improve intelligence. c) eating of mushrooms or other fungus d) study of edible microorganisms.

Nucivorous: (adj) a) concerned with eating nutritious foods, b) eating only fresh foods, c) nut eating d) picky about one's food to the point of starvation.

Oligophagous: (adj) a) leaf eaters. b) picky; eating only certain foods c) a fat substitute used in some margarine and processed baked goods. d) always leaving a small portion of the plate; not finishing one’s food.

Theophagy: (n) a) the worship of food. b) Literally “God- Eating” the ritual practice of communion. c) food of the soul d) mana or food from above.

On the Road to Nowhere

On a Road to Nowhere



We’ve all taken a wrong turn or a false step somewhere. After hearing some the words in the following list you may think you’ve stumbled onto the wrong tour bus. Follow them down the primrose path to find out more about roads, wandering and modes of travel.

Carfax: (n) a) part of a mobile office. b) an ancient Egyptian city known as a cross roads of trade. c) another name for the compass rose on a map d) a place where four or more roads intersect.

Circumnavigate: (n) a) to navigate with a compass. b) to travel completely around
something; especially by water. c) a culinary tour of a country or region. d) to travel on a wheeled conveyance.


Exodus: (n) a) crossing a continent from the northern most point to the southern most point. b) a cross roads where one can change direction. c) group travel package. d) mass departure.

Expedition: (n) a) tour led by an expert guide. b) a journey on foot. c) a journey for a particular purpose. d) a journey made with a cameraman.

Funambulation: (n) a) dancing or walking on a tightrope. b) walking in a strange or amusing manner; a silly walk. c) fumigating on foot. d) in martial arts the steps walked between kicks or strikes.


Junket: (n) a) a trip made by an official at public expense. b) a boat tour of Asia. c) all of the things you collect while traveling. d) a buying trip abroad; a mission to import goods.

Mundivagant: (n) a) taking in vagrants. b) the mundane or dull parts of a package tour. c) the knowledge gained from travel. d) wandering all over the world.

Noctambulation: (n) a) sleep-walking. b) sneaking around at night. c) being guided by bird calls. d) flying in the dark using sonar, like bats.

Noctivagation: (n) a) being guided by feel. b) traveling without a navigator. c) wandering around or traveling at night. d) trying to navigate the isle of a plane in turbulence when your feet have become numb from sitting too long.

Oikofugic: (n) a) one who is guided by inner music. b) obsessive wandering. c) an obsessive desire to travel to the Okavango river delta. d) travel fever brought on by documentary television.

Key: Words on Words

Altiloquence: (n) a) pompous speech

Amadelphous: (n) d) talkative

Claver: (n) b) gossip

Epilegoemenon: (n) a) an added or additionial remark

Epizeuxis: (n) c) emphatic verbal repetition

Facundity: (n) d) eloquence

Fissilingual: (adj) a) having a forked tongue

Galimatias: (n) b) confused, meaningless jargon

Glossolalia: (n) d) gibberish; non-sensical talk

Lamprophony: (n) d) loud, ringing speech

Monoglot: (n) a) someone fluent in only one language

Mugient: (adj) b) bellowing

Remugient: (adj.) b) renewed shouting or bellowing

Suaviloquence: n. a) bland, agreeable, soothing talk