Informal Vocabulary

noun anything at all; nothing

adverb in any degree; at all

• The project did not yield aught significant results.
• I didn't learn aught from that boring lecture.
• I didn't get aught out of that movie, it was a waste of time.
• In the darkness of the cave, I could see naught but aught shadows.

noun a sharp blow or punch

verb to strike or hit with a sharp blow

• The chef demonstrated the proper technique to biff the meat for tenderizing.
• I accidentally biffed the ball and it went flying over the fence.
• He threw a biff at the bully to defend himself.
• The unexpected news biffed her like a ton of bricks.

noun a thick, malleable mixture of flour and liquid, used for baking bread or pastry

• The baker kneaded the dough for the bread carefully.
• I love to play with dough when I'm making pizza at home.
• Let's roll in the dough and buy some new clothes!
• She had to work hard to earn enough dough to pay for her dream vacation.

noun a frivolous or trivial person or thing

verb to waste time or money on unimportant or unnecessary things

• The scientist spent hours fribbling with the equipment to ensure accurate results.
• I caught my brother fribbling with his phone instead of doing his homework.
• Stop fribbling around and get to work!
• Her mind fribbled between excitement and nervousness as she waited for the results.

noun a clumsy or awkward person, often used in a humorous or derogatory way

• The professor referred to the clumsy student as a galoot during the lecture.
• I can't believe that galoot spilled his drink all over the table.
• That galoot is always causing trouble around here.
• His towering height and booming voice made him seem like a galoot among the group of friends.

noun An extremely large number or amount, often used informally or hyperbolically

• The company's revenue increased by a jillion dollars this quarter.
• I've told you a jillion times to clean your room!
• I have a jillion things to do before the party tonight.
• She has a jillion ideas for her new business venture.

noun a large quantity or amount of something

• The chef used oodles of fresh herbs to enhance the flavor of the dish.
• I have oodles of homework to do before tomorrow.
• She has oodles of cash to spend on designer clothes.
• His creativity knows no bounds; he has oodles of ideas for the project.

adjective describing someone who is scatterbrained or easily distracted

• The professor dismissed the student's rattlebrained ideas during the lecture.
• I can't follow your rattlebrained plan, it's too confusing.
• She's always so rattlebrained, she can never focus on one thing.
• His mind was like a rattlebrained squirrel, jumping from one thought to the next.

verb to toot a horn or whistle in a series of short, high-pitched sounds

• The orchestra conductor asked the trumpeter to tootle softly during the delicate passage.
• I heard the little boy tootle on his toy trumpet in the park.
• I like to tootle around on my bike when the weather is nice.
• The bird perched on the branch and began to tootle a beautiful melody.

noun a Scottish slang term for something or someone remarkable or outstanding

• The stoater of a building stood tall and majestic in the city center.
• That car is an absolute stoater - it's so fast!
• She's a proper stoater when it comes to dancing, you should see her moves!
• His speech was a real stoater, it left everyone in awe.

noun a quick look or glance, especially a brief inspection or examination

• Before making a decision, it is important to have a dekko at all the available options.
• Hey, come take a dekko at this new gadget I just bought!
• Let's sneak a dekko at the answers before the exam starts.
• She took a dekko at her past mistakes before moving forward with her life.

noun a person who eats or drinks quickly and eagerly

verb to eat or drink something quickly and eagerly

• The cat snarfed down its food quickly.
• I always snarf my snacks when I'm hungry.
• He snarfed that burger in record time.
• She snarfed up all the available information before the meeting.

noun a superlative form of 'most', used to emphasize that something has the greatest degree or extent

• She received the mostest votes out of all the candidates in the election.
• I have the mostest fun when I'm hanging out with my friends.
• She's the mostest popular girl in school.
• His love for her was the mostest powerful force in his life.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action or state of being

adverb a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite

• She couldn't help but laugh like a drain at the professor's witty joke during the lecture.
• When Sarah told the funny story, we all laughed like drains at her hilarious antics.
• The comedy show was so ridiculous, we were all laughing like drains the whole time.
• Even in the face of adversity, he always manages to laugh like a drain and keep a positive attitude.

noun a colloquial term for an old, dilapidated car or vehicle

• The skedonk in the parking lot is in need of repairs.
• I can't believe you're driving that old skedonk around town.
• That skedonk is a real clunker.
• Her old car may be a skedonk, but it has a lot of sentimental value.