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Creative Words

Lynne Aurand Mickley

           Heard any good words lately? When we invite over company, Monte and I enjoy playing a dictionary game. One person finds an unusual word and writes the true definition, while everyone else makes up their own definition. The fake definitions are mixed with the real one and the players must guess which one they think is correct.
           This is a great game for writers; not only are they forced to come up with creative definitions, they learn new words to use in the future. Here are just a few of the words I learned:

          apres-ski: the period of relaxation that follows skiing.
          fliver: an old, small, or cheap automobile.
          plash: a gentle splash.
          joss: a Chinese house idol or cult image.
          assizes: trial sessions, civil or criminal, held periodically in English countries.
          dido: a prank or antic.
          holystone: a soft sandstone used in scrubbing the decks of a vessel.
          suckling: an infant or a young animal that suckles.
          yegg: a burglar, esp. one who cracks safes.
          dottle: half-burnt tobacco in the bottom of a pipe after smoking.
          ichor: an ethereal fluid supposed to flow in the veins of the gods.

          Now go use some of these words in your writing!

           Lynne Aurand Mickley is the editor of the website version of Writers for the Central Nebraska Writers Network. When she isn't at her "real job" as legal secretary for the Hall County Attorney's Office--she's working on her own website at Seasons For Success.