Introducing the Rare Stories
Through the first six months of 2018, I wrote a series of flash fictions of around 1000 words using, as a prompt, words marked as 'rare' in the OED. The sequence goes from A-Z and was posted on my website at a rate of roughly one a week through until the end of June. The full list is below, with each word linking to the relevant story. Thanks for reading!
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apple-squire (noun): a male companion of a woman of ill-repute
babblative (adj.): given to babbling; loquacious, prattling
combuster (noun): a person or thing that causes combustion
deericide (noun): the killing or killer of deer (published in Spring 2018 issue of Northwords Now)
emacity (noun): fondness for buying
flatter-blind (verb): to flatter so as to make blind; to blind with flattery (published in Summer 2018 issue of Honest Ulsterman)
goosified (adj.): affected with 'goose-flesh'
historiaster (noun): an inferior or mediocre historian
impanate (verb): to embody in bread
jazzaphonic (adj.): of a sound: resembling or characteristic of jazz music [removed for submission]
keckish (adj.): inclined to keck; squeamish
leading-string (noun): strings with which children used to be guided when learning to walk
mizzle-shinned (adj.): having one’s legs red and blotched from sitting too near a fire
notaphily (noun): the study or collection of bank notes
ombrometer (noun): a rain gauge
philobiblian (noun): a book-lover (published on The Bookseller website)
queuemanship (noun): the exercise of ploys and tactics in order to minimize time spent waiting in a queue
rodges-blast (noun): a sudden small, localized whirlwind
scraw (verb): to clear the throat, to ‘hawk’
tinctumutant (noun): an animal that changes colour
umbratic (adj.): confined to the shade or to retirement; retired, secluded
vinaigrous (adj.): vinegary; sour-tempered
whunk (noun): a dull hollow sound, as of a bullet striking something (apparently only in the work of Hemingway)
xenodochial (adj.): given to receiving strangers; hospitable
yearsman (noun): a labourer hired or paid by the year
zoogenic (adj.): formed by or derived from animals or their parts