Wondrous Words Wednesday
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where you can share new words that you’ve encountered or spotlight words you love. Feel free to get creative! If you want to play along, grab the button, write a post and come back and add your link to Mr. Linky!
My words this week come from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
1. vulpine – “Gilpin rubbed his vulpine jaw.”
Vulpine means of, relating to, or resembling a fox.
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2.lickspittle – “And I, of course, was the lickspittle hunchback of a husband who would bow and scrape the rest of my days.”
I thought this might be one of those made up words we all use, so was surprised to find it in the dictionary. Lickspittle means a fawning subordinate: toady.
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What words do you want to celebrate today?
Makes you curious about the etymology of a word like lickspittle.
My eye went to the words and definitions before I read the top of the post, and that was so funny, because when I read lickspittle I thought, jeeez, that sentence sounds like something that would have been in Gone Girl! LOL
I am in love with the word lickspittle now.
Lickspittle made me laugh! What a great word.
Lickspittle caught my eye, good word.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/03/wondrous-words-wednesday.html
I’m familiar with vulpine but haven’t heard, read or used it in years so it’s good to be reminded of it! I haven’t read this book yet and wonder if the use of vulpine in relation to Gilpin’s jaw is a comment on the kind of person he is! If it is, ack!
I don’t know lickspittle at all but what a great word! I laughed when I reread the sentence, too…oh those poor husbands!
I love the word vulpine.
Both of these are great words. Now I just need to find a way to use them!
Vulpine for fox, kind of like Lupine for wolf. Yes, I bet Amy’s right and that word is meant to say something about the character’s personality! How do you like Gone Girl Kathy? I’ve heard a lot of hype about it – one of those “I couldn’t put it down reads”- but I’m worried the topic would be disturbing. (I don’t like to read about marriages going really bad.) I hope you’ll review it!
Great words. Both are new to me. I was surprised that Lickspittle was a word.
Oh, that lickspittle line is SO Gone Girl! Vulpine is a great word.
Both vulpine and lickspittle are wonderful words. This is such a great way to discover new words.
Lickspittle is funny, but I really want to find a good way to use the word vulpine — what an image!
I like that word, vulpine
Ooh…quite lovely descriptive words this Wednesday!!
Two good words. Wonder if I can work lickspittle into a conversation today.
What great words! Lickspittle is definitely one of those I would have guessed was made up.
A couple of good words that I didn’t know. (And I still want to read Gone Girl!)
LOVE the word lickspittle. It sounds like a character you’d find in a Roald Dahl novel — Mr. Lickspittle. And he’d be very toad-like. Awesome words this week, thanks for sharing! 🙂
I like that the character is described as resembling a fox. This book is still on my list. I really need to read it.
Vulpine always makes me think of Spock. Because that’s just the way my mind works.
Man, I am glad I don’t have a lickspittle for husband! lol
Fabulous words there, and even more reason to read Gone Girl.
Lickspittle…what a word!