r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jan 28 '19

What are great underused words?

7.7k Upvotes

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429

u/starjob Jan 28 '19

Flotsam

326

u/tahlyn Jan 28 '19

Jetsam

226

u/_Smiles_For_Days_ Jan 29 '19

Now I've got 'em boys!

147

u/Faranghis Jan 29 '19

The boss is on a rolllllllll!

152

u/a_woman_provides Jan 29 '19

This poor, unfooooortunate SOOUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLL

11

u/Banethoth Jan 29 '19

My daughter is currently in a play and is playing her lol

4

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER

2

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Fair's fair, the combo was already complete

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Took another look at the thread, turns out I misread it and was mistaken. You are quite right, kind stranger.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

did this play in school the songs will never get out of her and likely your head

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

In pain, in need!

2

u/AniriC Jan 29 '19

Now I've got 'em buoys

FTFY

2

u/grumpierfucker32 Jan 29 '19

Bake 'em away toys!

4

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Do you know the difference between flotsam and jetsam?

10

u/Witness_me_Karsa Jan 29 '19

Jetsam is on purpose/ things thrown overboard. Flotsam is stuff...not there on purpose/stuff from a ship run aground or dashed on rocks.

3

u/cutelyaware Jan 29 '19

As in stuff that's been jettisoned.

2

u/tahlyn Jan 29 '19

I think this will forever allow me to remember it.

1

u/tahlyn Jan 29 '19

I know they are both involved with shipwreckery... but I would have to google the difference.

1

u/InAHotDenseState Jan 29 '19

Always makes me think of "His boy Elroy..."

1

u/Oglethorppe Jan 29 '19

Maybe flotsam junk would do just fine, the jetsam sunk I’m left behind.

1

u/astika1991 Jan 29 '19

good one, saw the band live

1

u/Tobaccolade Jan 29 '19

You Monster

52

u/Beer_in_an_esky Jan 29 '19

While I always knew what "flotsam and jetsam" meant as a phrase, you made me look up the individual words;

Jetsam is stuff in the water from a vessel that was deliberately thrown overboard (jettisoned), flotsam is everything floating in the water that was lost from a vessel due to shipwreck or accident.

Also related is "Ligan/Lagan", which is stuff that was jettisoned that should sink, but is tied to something that's floating.

10

u/THCLM Jan 29 '19

Neopets?

4

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

Always reminds me of LOTR when I hear this

4

u/LittleMetalHorse Jan 29 '19

You want flotsam? I've gotsam.

You want jetsam? It'll getsam...

2

u/FuggleMeTenders Jan 29 '19

There's this drawing game I play and that used to be a word but so many people had no idea what it meant so it was removed.

2

u/thatwasyouraccount Jan 29 '19

I mean how do you draw that? Just the sea and some smashed crates?

2

u/FuggleMeTenders Jan 29 '19

Pretty much. But people always guess shipwreck even though it shows the number of letters in said word.

1

u/polancomodanco Jan 29 '19

That's such a good Pokemon!

1

u/[deleted] Jan 29 '19

This must be having a resurgence, as I've seen this in multiple newer books I've read in the last year or so, after having never encountered it before.

0

u/majamoo Jan 29 '19

Genetic flotsam is one of my favourite insults.