Bumfuzzle: to confuse, perplex, or fluster.

Which of These Words Is Real?

Cattywampus: something that’s askew, in disarray, or positioned diagonally (not directly across).

Gardyloo: a warning cry shouted in old Edinburgh before dumping waste from a window.

Taradiddle: a petty lie, exaggeration, or pretentious nonsense.

Snickersnee: a long knife or sword used in cut-and-thrust fighting, especially in the 1700s.

Widdershins: moving counter-clockwise or in the wrong direction.

Collywobbles: a stomachache or uneasy feeling in the belly.

Gubbins: odds and ends, gadgets, rubbish — or a foolish person.

Abibliophobia: the fear of running out of things to read.

Bumbershoot: a playful term for an umbrella.

Lollygag: to mess around, waste time, or do something in a not-very-serious way.

Flibbertigibbet: a silly, flighty person who talks incessantly.

Malarkey: foolish talk or insincere nonsense.

Pandiculation: the act of stretching and yawning, often when waking up.

Sialoquent: speaking in a way that sprays saliva (especially noticeable up close).

Wabbit: exhausted or worn out (Scottish usage).

Snollygoster: a self-serving, unprincipled politician who puts personal gain first.

Erinaceous: resembling a hedgehog; prickly or spiny in appearance.

Impignorate: to pawn or mortgage something; to give property as security.

Nudiustertian: relating to the day before yesterday.

Quire: a set of 24 (or sometimes 25) sheets of paper.

Ratoon: a new shoot or growth that springs from the root of a plant.

Yarborough: a hand of cards containing no card higher than nine.

Xertz: to eat or drink quickly and greedily.

Zoanthropy: a delusional belief that one has transformed into an animal or is an animal.

Pauciloquent: using few words; speaking briefly or minimally.

Bloviate: to talk at length in an inflated, empty, or self-important way.

Borborygm: a rumbling or gurgling sound made by the stomach or intestines.

Brouhaha: an uproar, hubbub, or noisy reaction to an event.

Some of these words sound made up. One of them isn’t. Can you spot the real one?