A few fun words that were new to me this week:
moppet, n A small endearingly sweet child
page 156, Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney
“The little moppet looked up at me and all I could see was little Anthony at that age hoping Veronica would stick around instead of locking me in the bathroom while she went only God knows where.”

Chinese finger trap (also known as Chinese finger prison, Chinese finger cuffs, Chinese finger puzzle, Chinese handcuffs, Mexican finger fun, Chinese finger torture and Mexican handcuffs) toys. Via Carol at Wikipedia.
Chinese finger cuffs, n Also known as Chinese finger traps, a simple puzzle that traps the victim’s fingers in both ends of a small, woven bamboo cylinder
page 222, Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney
“Codependent relationships are woven together as tightly as Chinese finger cuffs.”
Oh! Once I saw the photo I knew what these were. I had a few as a kid.
interrailing, n Traveling throughout Europe using a flexible train ticket for all ages
page 80, Almost Home by Pam Jenoff
“‘Went inter-railing with this lot.’”
I would have called this EurRail, or EuroRail, but apparently I would have been wrong.
bufty, n [I actually can't find a definition of this, without resorting to Urban Dictionary, which in this case is even more unreliable than usual.]
page 172, Almost Home by Pam Jenoff
“Is that old bufty still kicking around?”
ergometer, n An apparatus that measures work or energy expended during a period of physical exercise
page 306, Almost Home by Pam Jenoff
“The whirring sound of an ergometer, a lone rower training, filters down the stairs from the locker rooms above.”
I knew both parts of this word, but I didn’t recall seeing them put together.
More great words on my Words from my reading page.
Reviews of books cited here:
Wounded by Claudia Mair Burney
Almost Home by Pam Jenoff
What new words have you found lately?










10 comments
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March 10, 2010 at 7:59 am
Bookjourney
I knew moppet and the Chinese Finger Cuffs (although I had only heard of it as finger traps). The other two are new to me!
March 10, 2010 at 8:26 am
Lisa
I think Bufty is great, especially since you don’t really know what it means! Makes it even more fun to use.
My words are here.
March 10, 2010 at 8:55 am
Susan James
LOL! I’ve got several Chinese finger cuffs rolling around in our junk/candy drawer right now. We had them on the table at my daughter’s bday party. They used to freak me out when I was really little because I’d panic and couldn’t get my fingers out. I grew up in South Texa and they always had those at Mexican restraunts and in pinatas.
And ditto Lisa on bufty. The mystery adds to the fun of it.
March 10, 2010 at 9:20 am
Sherrie
Hi!
I knew the first 2 but the others are new to me. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Just Books
March 10, 2010 at 10:16 am
Margot at Joyfully Retired
I’d forgotten about the Chinese finger traps. I agree with Lisa on bufty. I think I’ll make up my own definition and use it in the next day or two. It will be my own personal joke – and yours as well.
March 11, 2010 at 12:29 pm
wordlily
Sounds like fun!
March 10, 2010 at 11:24 am
Lisa notes...
We used to have Chinese finger cuffs, but I don’t think we knew what to call them. Thanks for the picture!
March 10, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Andi
Awww, I love moppet! And bufty is totally new to me.
March 10, 2010 at 2:59 pm
bermudaonion
Boy, do I remember those Chinese finger cuffs. I’m not sure what we called them, though.
March 12, 2010 at 7:02 pm
stacybuckeye
I just love moppet as a endearment