Talk about a mouthful – ostrobogulous, but it has tickled my fancy. How to work it into conversation? I’ll try to find a way.
ostrobogulous, adj.
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌɒstrəʊˈbɒɡjᵿləs/, U.S. /ˌɑstroʊˈbɑɡjələs/
Etymology: Apparently irregularly < oestrous adj. + -o- connective + either bog n.1 or bog n.4 + -ulous suffix, attributed to Victor Benjamin Neuburg, British writer (1883–1940); compare:
1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 July 871/2 It was sick, dirty, or more precisely, ‘ostrobogulous’, which according to Victor Neuburg..meant etymologically full of (Latin, ulus) rich (Greek, ostro) dirt (schoolboy, bog). Chiefly humorous.
Used after Neuburg to designate something that is slightly risqué or indecent. Also applied arbitrarily to things which are bizarre, interesting, or unusual in some other way (see quots.).
1951 A. Calder-Marshall Magic my Youth i. 31 ‘Ostrobogulous’ was Vickybird’s favourite word. It stood for anything from the bawdy to the slightly off-colour. Any double entendre that might otherwise have escaped his audience was prefaced by, ‘if you will pardon the ostrobogulosity’.
1952 A.Graves Ostrobogulous Pigs 7 Once upon a time there were..five ostrobogulous skipperty flipperty filthy grubby muddy little pigs.
1963 Sunday Times 29 Dec. 19/2 (heading) An ostrobogulous year for the toy men.
1965 J. O. Fuller Magical Dilemma V. Neuburg i. iv. 58 Some of the entries were not printed because they were ostrobogulous. This was a wonderful word of Vicky’s. It was used in the place of indecent or pornographic, and had the advantage..that it implied no moral attitude.
1972 Times Lit. Suppl. 30 June 757/4 His career, fabulous, prestigious, sordid, sinister, and in the word of Victor Neuburg ostrobogulous.
Derivatives
ostroboguˈlation n. nonce-wd.
1952 A. Graves Ostrobogulous Pigs 11 ‘I can no longer endure the odorous and objectionable ostrobogulations of those creatures,’ said Angelina Boghurst-Fisher.
ostroˈbogulatory adj. nonce-wd.
1952 A. Graves Ostrobogulous Pigs 10, I can no longer endure this ostrobogulatory behaviour.
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