English is a complex and ever-evolving language. New words come into play every day, and older ones get cycled out. Here are some words that are as much as 500 years old that have fallen out of common use that are just too fun to let die. Can you guess their meanings? (Answers are at the end of the article.)

1. Lanspresado

a) A married man who aggressively flirts with women at parties

b) That person who always seem to have left their wallet at home when it’s time to pay

2. Fudgel

a) Acting busy but not really doing anything

b) To make a mistake and then make more mistakes to cover up the first mistake

3. Percher

a) An umbrella term for all flightless birds

b) A social climber

4. Snout-fair 

a) Handsome

b) A person who makes a lot of noise when they eat

5. Awhaped

a) Exhausted and agitated

b) Uncomfortably baffled

6. Groak

a) To watch someone eat, hoping they’ll share

b) To read a dead relative’s will in front of their family

7. Pismire

a) Farmland that’s inhospitable to crops

b) An ant

8. Twattle

a) Gossip

b) Phlegm 

9. Curglaff

a) To choke and cough on air

b) The shock of diving into freezing cold water

10. Quockerwodger

a) A wooden puppet

b) A whiny old man

11. Lunting

a) An after-meal walk

b) Decorative blankets or pillows

12. Elflock

a) Dandruff

b) Tangled hair, also known as bed-head

13. Dowsabel

a) Extreme thirst

b) A female romantic companion

14. Nickum

a) Chewing tobacco

b) A liar and a cheater

15. Tremblable

a) Dreadful

b) Uncontrollably shaky

16. Sillytonian

a) A politician who spouts nonsense as if it’s wise

b) A gullible fellow

17. Ultracrepidarian

a) An experienced horse trainer

b) A person who voices their opinions on subjects about which they know next to nothing

18. With squirrel

a) Six months pregnant

b) Having large cheeks

19. Crapulous

a) To feel sick after an evening of too much eating and drinking

b) Winning a large amount of money on one’s first hand of a card game

20. Merry-go-sorry

a) A junior-size merry-go-round for very young children

b) A combination of sadness and happiness

Answers:

1. b), 2. a), 3. b), 4. a), 5. b), 6. a), 7. b), 8. a),  9. b), 10. a), 11. a), 12. b), 13. b), 14. b), 15. a), 16. b), 17. b), 18. a), 19. a), 20. b)