The Top 10 Best Words, Ever

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I love old-fashioned descriptive words. They are fun to say. You can use them everywhere – in front of your mother, the neighbors little kids, at work. You don’t have to type symbols [#$%&*@!] when writing them either. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and parents use these little darlings. Now I’m saying them, and trying to explain their meanings to my granddaughters…

The Top 10 Best Words, Ever:

1. Scalawag (or Scallywag): (skălˈə-wăgˌ); (skălˈē-wăg) noun;  1. a scamp; a rascal. Origin: term used by Southern Democrats for the Southerners who supported the Republicans during the Reconstruction after the Civil War.
2. Varmint: (värˈmĭnt) noun;  One considered undesirable, obnoxious, or troublesome.  Origin: Variant of vermin.
3. Geezer: (gēˈzər) noun;  An old person, especially an eccentric old man.
4. Hooey: (ho̵̅o̅′ē) interjection, noun; Nonsense, B.S.
5. Floozy: (flo͞oˈzē) noun; A woman regarded as tawdry or sexually promiscuous. Origin: flossy
6. Rascal: (ras′kəl)  noun; 1. a scoundrel; rogue; scamp: now usually used jokingly or affectionately, as of a mischievous child 2. adjective; low; dishonest; base.  Origin: Middle English- rabble, commoners.
   
7. Skedaddle: (ski dad′‘l); verb; to run off or away; leave in a hurry. Origin: popularized in military slang of Civil War period: prob. a fanciful formation.
8. Loony: (lo͞oˈnē); adjective;1. Extremely foolish or silly; 2. Crazy, insane. Origin: shortening and alteration of lunatic.
9. Scruffy: (skruf′ē) adjective; Shabby, unkempt, grubby. A man who has not shaved in days, like my husband.
10. Shenanigans: (shê-‘næn-ê-gênz) noun; A playful or mischievous act; a prank; a secret scheme or machination. Origin: possibly Gaelic “sionnachuighim” meaning “I play the fox”.

I know there are more but honestly, I’m tuckered out.

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Acknowledgments:
Many thanks to the folks at  who actually had all these words in their database. Impressive!