|
POPPYSMIC/pɒˈpɪzmɪk/ Produced with smacking of the lips. You won’t see this in your local newspaper any day soon. It comes from the Latin poppysma, via the defunct French popisme. Romans used the original for a kind of lip-smacking, clucking noise that signified satisfaction and approval, especially during lovemaking. In French, it referred to the tongue-clicking tsk-tsk sound that riders use to encourage their mounts. The only writer in English known to have used our word was James Joyce, in a stage direction in Ulysses: “FLORRY WHISPERS TO HER. WHISPERING LOVEWORDS MURMUR, LIPLAPPING LOUDLY, POPPYSMIC PLOPSLOP.” |
Page created 13 Aug. 2005
E-Magazine
Try the weekly World Wide Words e-magazine — it features words in the news, weird words, new(ish) words, old words, words people ask questions about, and even the occasional grovelling correction.
Notes and comments
Looking for a Christmas present? Try my book with the strange title: Why is Q Always Followed by U?
Can't tell your sinistro- from your dextro-? Help is at hand! Consult my dictionary of word beginnings and endings.
World Wide Words is supported by its readers: take a look here to see how you can help.
Try a page at random
|
