Spread laughter and positive energy with wordplay! Dictomancy - Everyday Wordplay is a Wednesday blog series that features rare, bizarre, and absurd words and their meanings. Work one of these words into your day and spark some laughter and curiosity!
Callithumpian - call*i*thum*pi*an n Also sp cala-, cali-, calla-, calli(a)-, cal-, cow-, -thump(ian), -thumpin(g) [Eng] gallithumpian prob from gally to frighten, to confuse with noise + thump to beat, to walk or dance with energy. A boisterous, rowdy group (or a member of such a group) that assembles with noisemakers, spec: for merrymaking in a parade, esp on New Year’s Eve or the Fourth Of July. For a wedding night escapade.
“Downtown’s always full of callithumpians.”
“You going to the concert? All the callithumpians are going to be there.”
“Oh, I remember that night. We were all callithumpian and it was crazy.”
“If that’s what ‘callithumpian’ means, then why does California start with those exact letters?”
Please share and comment on today’s Dictomancy and feel free to post your uses for the words in a positive, lighthearted way. Audience participation makes Everyday Wordplay hilarious!
Works Cited
Cassidy, Frederic G. Chief Editor. Dictionary Of American Regional English. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985. Print