New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CRINKUM-CRANKUM

pronunciation: [KRING-kəm-KRANG-kəm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: English, mid-18th century

 

Meaning:

1. Elaborate decoration or detail.

 

Examples:

"I love Victorian architecture with the woodwork overflowing with crinkum-crankum."

"The reviews of the latest book in the mystery series promise a story filled with crinkum-crankum."

About Crinkum-Crankum

Crinkum-crankum is a fanciful word for something fanciful itself. This fun-to-say noun means something with over-the-top decoration, or something full of twists and turns.

 

Did you Know?

It might sound like a nonsense word, but "crinkum-crankum" has roots in very real terms. It’s an alteration of "crinkle," meaning "a wrinkle or crease on the surface of something," and "crankle," which comes from the Latin word "crincum," meaning "a bend or twist." "Crinkum-crankum" is a fun way to describe something delightfully elaborate.