New words for learning

puckish \PUHK-ish\, adjective:

Whimsical; mischievous; impish.

Superficially obnoxious, his friendly, puckish manner endeared him to those who relished the intensity of turn-of-the-century bohemian New York.
-- William B. Scott and Peter M. Rutkoff, New York Modern

To his credit he exhibits on occasion a puckish humor. Commenting on elementary reasoning abilities of chimpanzees engaged in experiments, he says they may "be wondering whether people have the capacity for reason, and if so, why they need help from apes to solve such simple problems.
-- Richard Restak, "Rational Explanation", New York Times, November 21, 1999

It happens that I had recently read an article on wordplay in the Smithsonian magazine in which the author asserted that some puckish soul had once sent a letter addressed, with playful ambiguity, to HILL JOHN MASS and it had gotten there after the postal authorities had worked out that it was to be read as "John Underhill, Andover, Mass." (Get it?)
-- Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Puckish comes from Puck, the name of a mischievous sprite in English folklore, from Middle English pouke, "goblin," from Old English puca.

tinh quái, như yêu tinh. A puckish child




chortle \CHOR-tl\, transitive and intransitive verb:

1. To utter, or express with, a snorting, exultant laugh or chuckle.

noun:
1. A snorting, exultant laugh or chuckle.

Benjamin himself chortled now, an odd laugh to which I grew accustomed in years to come.
-- Jay Parini, Benjamin's Crossing

Even Isaksson's stern wife, who rarely cracked a smile, chortled with glee, and Old Mothstead slapped his thighs and flapped his apron and danced around the couple, who moved in ever larger rings amongst the kegs.
-- Kerstin Ekman, Witches' Rings, translated by Linda Schenck

A nation that was used to chortling over Charlie Chaplin or rejoicing with the high-stepping Ziegfeld girls found itself drawn to this more refined, decidedly European entertainment.
-- Larry Tye, The Father of Spin

Chortle a combination of chuckle and snort. It was coined by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson), in Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1872.

Posted in: Learning English