What makes an word innately funny? What innately funny words are there? What is the difference in innately funny words between languages? All these and more questions occurred to me when I was really bored, so I decided to try and answer them, in this entry I intend to have a diffinitive list of some innately funny words.
What do I mean by innately funny?
Basically any word that is amusing without regard for what it means, like aardvark, obergine, or nibbles. This is of course a very culture specific thing, hence why I am openning it up to submissions.
This entry is an attempt to help break down cultural barriers, and preconceptions, to really open up the world community, and also be a bit of a giggle.
What makes something innately funny?
There are many reasons, cultural, sound-a-like, and the weirdness of peoples minds.
The completely incomplete list of inately funny words
Description to do with People
| Aloof | | Belligerent - Readiness to fight or argue. | | Bilious | | Bloke | | Boggle - To be surprised, confused, or alarmed. | | Boob - Fool. | | Brusque - Blunt or curt manner or speech. | | Cantankerous - Quarrelsome, unreasonable. | | Chap - (Modern definition) Person. | | Cheeky - Disrespectful in speech or behaviour. | | Chicanery | | Collywobbles - an intense feeling of nerves or an upset stomach. | | Cowtow | | Doodle | | Flibbertigibbet - An irresponsible, silly or gossipy person. | | Foible - a slight peculiarity or minor weakness; idiosyncrasy. Or the weak point in a swords blade between middle and tip. | | Foolish | | Frivolous | | Grimace | | Gripe - To complain. | | Grumpy - peevish; sulky. |
| | Indolent - Disliking work or effort. | | Loony | | Mush - (slang)Face, or person. | | Nincompoop - Fool, Idiot. | | Ninny - A dull-witted person. | | Old Mucker | | Old bean | | old fruit | | old stick | | Pip - Good sort of chap. | | Pugnacious | | Rapscallion--especially if you say it with a lisp. | | Sanguine | | Shifty - To act or appear untrustworthy. | | Stout - Courageous, resolute or valiant. Strong, substantial, and robust. | Uncious - Slippery or greasy. Affecting an oily charm.
| | Uppity/Uppish - Acting snobbish, arrogant or presumptuous. | |
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NAMES FOR THINGS
| Apron | | Armadillo | | Aubergine | | Badger | | Balloon | | Baps | | Beans | | Bib | | Biscuit | | Blancmange - A pudding. | Bollard - A strong post on wharf or Quay made of metal or wood. (In England) A small post used to block streets or
on a kerb or traffic island to make it conspicuous to traffic. | | Bolognaise | | Bongo | | Buttocks | | Buzzard | | Caribou | | Chicken | | Cloth | | Cribbage - A card Game. | | Crumpet | | Cummerbund - wide sash worn with dinner jacket. | | Custard | | Dromedary - A type of Arabian camel with 1 hump, bred for racing and riding. | | Ectoplasm - cytology - Outer layer of cytoplasm. Spiritualism - Substance emanating from a medium during a trance. | | Emu | | Fish | | Flange | | Flannel | | Foon - spoon and fork combination tool | Fridge - an corruption of "Frigid air" pronounced as in "I'm not a
_fridge_ you know" from the "Young Ones"-TV Series | | Fungi | | Gibbon | | Gizzard | | Gombroon - a type of Persian pottery ware | | Goose | | Gopher | | Gnu | | Guinea-pig | | Gusset | | Hippopotamus | | Hobgoblin | | Influenza | | Ingot | | Jalopy | | Jujitsu | | Jumper | | Knickers/Knickerbockers | | Koala | | Kiwi | | Kumquat | | Limpet - A blanket term for marine gastropods with conical shell living attached to rocks. | | Linguini | | Lip - 2 fleshy parts surrounding mouth. | | Llama | | Marzipan - A paste made from Almonds, Sugar and Egg Whites. | | Mead - An Alcoholic drink fermented from honey (possibly with Herbs added) | | Midden | | Monkey | | Moose | | Muck-spreader |
| | Mustard | | Mutton - The meat of old sheep. | | Obelisk | | Ogre - A giant, usually one who eats people. | | Ointment | | Onion | | Pantaloons - Tight fitting trousers tied below calf or under shoe. | | Peccary (a species of nocturnal pig) | | Pellet | | Percolator | | Petticoat - Womans underskirt. | | Phalange | | Pigeon | | Pins | | Plinth | | Poodle | | Privy counsellor | | Pudding | | Quail | | Rabbit | | Rollocks - The part of the boat the oars rest in. | | Sandwich | | Sasquatch - Bigfoot, old grey man of the forest, etc | | Sausage | | Scampi - a fish dish. | | Shack - A small hut. | | Smew (noun): a small merganser or diving duck | | Snood | | Snorkel | | Soup | | Spanners | | Spatula | | Spigot - A small peg or plug; a device for controlling the flow of liquor from a cask. | | Spittoon - A container to spit in. | | Sponge | | Spoon | | Spork - spoon and fork combination tool | | Squire | | Tangerine | | Tea-cosy | | Thrush | | Trousers | | Trumpet | | Tub | | Turnip | | Wainscotting - the lower part of the wall when it has different coating to the upper part, sometimes used for Skirting board. | | Whelk - A marine gastropod mollusc of coastal waters and intertidal areas, having strong snail-like shell. | | Wicket - The collection of 3 stumps and 2 bails used in cricket. | | Wigwam - North American Indian dwelling. | | Wombat | | Yak | | Yoga | | Yogurt |
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Pretentious words
| Baldrick - Name from Blackadder derived from Baldric which is a sash or belt crossing from right shoulder to left hip used to carry a sword. |
| Bamboozle - Confuse. |
| Belligerent |
| Bilious - Feeling sickly |
| Brusque - Blunt or curt manner or speech. |
| Bulbous |
| Cantankerous |
| Chicanery |
| Curmudgeon |
| Diatribe |
| Discombobulate |
| Fetid |
| Filibuster - To obstruct legislation by delaying tactics (e.g. tabling so many questions it runs out of time). |
| Finagle |
| Flabbergast - To amaze utterly; astound. |
| Foible |
| Frippery - Ostentation. |
| Frivolous |
| Gerrymander - To manipulate or adapt to ones advantage. Biassing division of voting districts. |
| Globule |
| Heinous |
| Iambic Pentameter |
| Ignoramus |
| Indolent |
| Innate |
| Kibosh |
| Limpid |
| Lolly gag |
| Lugubrious |
| Mastication |
| Nincompoop |
| Ninny |
| Oxymoron |
| Palindrome - word or phrase where if you reverse the letters or words that make it up it is still the same as it was forward. |
| Paradigm |
| Paragon |
| Persnickety |
| Podule |
| Precocious |
| Pugnacious |
| Quandary - A difficult situation; Predicament; Dilemma. |
| Quango |
| Rapscallion |
| Rhetoric |
| Rotunda |
| Salubrious |
| Sanguine |
| Scrutinise - To examine closely. |
| Snaffle - (Britain) To steal or take for oneself. |
| Snatch - To seize or grasp something suddenly. |
| Snoop - To observe surreptitiously. |
| Twaddle |
| Twee |
| Unctuous |
