Peace of Mind Organizing

Obscure words for messes

25 June 2020

I’m a word person. I made my living as a freelance pet writer for ten years before starting Peace of Mind Organizing in 2005. I love writing, which is how I manage to blog at least once a week on two different blogs. And I especially love writing about organizing and clutter. So how is it that I never heard of these words?

My friend and podcast co-host, Shannon Wilkinson, introduced me to two synonyms for “mess,” when she posted one of her cartoons on Facebook. My reaction was “how have I never heard of these words?” So she sent along a link to this blog post from the inimitable Merriam-Webster.com.

Here’s her cartoon:

Have you ever heard of these words?

• Strubbly
• Gaumy
• Streel
• Slommacky
• Hurrah’s nest
• Shambolic

They all have subtly different meanings. I think my favorite (or perhaps the one I can relate most to) is Shambolic, which, as Shannon’s cartoon points out, means “obviously disorganized or confused.”

I encourage you to read the Merriam-Webster blog post, 6 obscure words for messes to learn more about these excellent words, including their origins.

Follow Shannon on Instagram if you’d like to see more of her cartoons!

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