Eat Your Words. Paul Convery

foremost in mind, seasoned with the occasional dash of wit. Any errors are his and his alone; in keeping with the spirit of the book, he humbly pledges to eat his own words in such event.

      So, why not expand your vocabulary and not your waistline by taking a hearty bite from Eat Your Words: The Definitive Dictionary for the Discerning Diner.

      Bon appétit.

      Paul Convery, Glasgow, September 2019

Part One

      Food, Glorious Food

Of Flora, Fauna, and Food

Chapter 1

Foodstuffs: Classes and Categories

      “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”

      —George Bernard Shaw

      acates * bought-in food, especially fresh or luxury provisions; catering supplies

      acetaria * salad plants and vegetables, considered collectively

      adipsa * foods which do not produce thirst following their consumption

      aliment * food formally considered as sustenance and nourishment for the body

      alternative protein * substitute meat or dairy products developed in the laboratory

      ambient food * goods which retain their freshness when stored at room temperature

      ambrosia * the food of the Olympian gods; to mere mortals, a bite of heavenly taste

      analects * dropped or discarded morsels of food; figuratively, crumbs of wisdom

      appast * an archaic generic term for food, in the sense of one’s “daily bread”

      assature * roasted food, especially meat

      bag & bottle * food and drink, informally

      bakemeat * baked food, notably pastries and pies

      beefmeat * bureaucratese for the flesh of cattle, as foodstuff and agricultural product

      belly-timber * grub for one’s gut

      bioengineered food * edible produce from natural organisms, either flora or fauna, that have undergone genetic manipulation in some form

      bite & sup * something to eat

      blubber-totum * food no better than thin gruel, as too watery soup or weak stew

      bolus * a ball of soft, chewed food matter just prior to swallowing and digestion

      breadkind * vegetables with a high starch content, such as yams and sweet potatoes

      breadstuff * baked goods collectively; also, constituent items for baking such as flour

      broma * an obsolete medical term for convalescent fare better chewed than supped

      buckone * a mere morsel or mouthful of food

      bullamacow * tinned or canned meat; also, cattle or livestock, in South Seas pidgin

      bushfood * any traditional Australian Aboriginal dietary staple, normally eaten raw

      bushmeat * any African wild animal hunted for food, or the flesh therefrom

      butchermeat * the flesh of domesticated animals slaughtered for the table as traditionally sold by butchers, viz beef, lamb, veal, mutton, and pork

      cackling-farts * eggs, in the colourful language of the erstwhile “canting crew”

      cag-mag * unwholesome, spoiled, or downright bad food of any kind

      calavance * edible beans, generically considered; by extension, food made from same

      carbonado * grilled or barbecued food

      carnish * meat, being the flesh of any animal used as food

      cassan * cheese, in the vernacular of yesteryear

      cerealia * cereal foods, such as corn, collectively

      cetaries * a neglected synonym for seafood, being victuals sourced from open waters

      champignon * a catch-all culinary term for mushrooms, notably as a delicacy food

      chankings * food matter that has been chewed and subsequently spat out—olive pits, fruit stones, gristle, and the like

      charcuterie * cold pork cuts as a class of meat product: includes ham, bacon, and pâté

      chazerai * any truly awful food or dish; more strictly, non-kosher fare

      cheeseparing * a miserly sliver or miserable scrap of food

      cherishment * food in the context of nourishment or sustenance for body and soul

      chewin’s * chow to chew on

      chompin’s * chow to chomp on

      chow * food, in common parlance

      cibaries * food stocks; catering provisions

      cibosity * food aplenty

      cibus * a Sunday-best term for food used by scholars of yore, and rarely so even then

      comestibles * articles of food

      comfort food * richly enjoyable no-fuss fave fare that brings succour as well as sweet satisfaction to the consumer

      conditement * any spice, sauce, season, or garnish used to lend pep to a dish

      confectionery * foods rich in sugar and carbohydrates, chiefly candy and chocolate

      confiture * the class of culinary goods made by preserving fruit with sugar

      conner * canned food or service rations; an expression from the forces’ lexicon

      conserve * any confection or preserve of candied fruit, such as marmalade or jam

      convenience food * commercially pre-prepared hence “ready to serve” easy meals

      cookables * items or ingredients that may be cooked for food; stuff fit for the pot

      coquillage * shellfish considered as a discrete culinary category

      corbullion * stock, broth, bouillon: flavoured liquid for cooking

      courtesy-morsel * a small quantity of food left on a diner’s plate for manners’ sake

      crassing-chetes * crunchy fruits, in the bygone idiom of the Georgian underworld

      creamery * dairy produce in the round, with particular reference to butter

      cribbing * a now outdated colloquialism for food and sustenance

      critouns * cooking refuse, notably burnt bits of fried food

      crudity * food matter resting undigested in the belly

      crug * food in general; bread crusts or crumbs in particular

      dainties * sweetmeats; titbits or treats

      dairy goods * a generic term for milk and the various food products derived from it

      delicacies * dainties, fancies, and other choice or luxury viands

      devilment * humorously, food flavoured with spicy seasonings or condiments

      dinner-piece * food for the evening meal

      dipsa * foods which produce thirst following their consumption

      dish-meat