Word Nerd Wednesday – Pigwidgeon

Welcome to the first Word Nerd Wednesday post for 2019! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I was super excited to receive Jeff Kacirk’s Calendar of Forgotten English from my sister as a Christmas gift, so guess who’s going to have plenty of Word Nerd Wednesday fodder this year!

Today, I thought we’d play a little game of What do you think it means with one of my favourite words so far: pigwidgeon. It’s such a satisfying word to say. Try it!

This was a cant word (slang) listed in Samuel Johnson’s 1755 Dictionary of the English Language, and I’m going to ask you which of these definitions you think is correct:

A) An idiot;

B) Anything petty or small;

C) Someone who cheats;

D) A small-brimmed cap.

Well? What do you think it means?

About Fiction Aficionado

Homeschooling mum, word lover, reader extraordinaire, and follower of Christ
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4 Responses to Word Nerd Wednesday – Pigwidgeon

  1. bellesmoma16 says:

    I’m going to say A. I have zero confidence I’m right. It just sounds like a Shakespearean insult. Lol! 😀

    Like

  2. Amy M says:

    I pick “A” because you said it was a slang word.

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  3. Carolyn Pretorius says:

    I’m picking A as a widgeon is usually used to describe someone as an “airhead” or a bit short on brains lol.

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  4. I believe it’s A as well. I know I’ve read it before in stories.

    Like

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