Can lost words like ‘rouzy-bouzy’ and ‘wlonk’ be revived? Spare me the ear-rent

Researchers have unearthed 30 expressions that they suggest could be brought back to modern conversation - but they wouldn't be the first words to experience a revival

Look, I'll be honest. I'm struggling to write this as I got rouzy-bouzy¹ last night and the deadline I've been given is tremblable². I'm sure the momists³ among you won't miss the opportunity to point out my mistakes, but I'd be grateful if you could spare me the ear-rent⁴ just this once.

I'm going to persevere, though, because of an exciting batch of "lost words" unearthed by Dominic Watt and his team at the University of York. They reckon these 30 obsolete pieces of vocabulary are due for a revival. And they do read a bit like gifts from the past to our troubled age. Been hate-scanning your enemy's Twitter feed? That's "stomaching", or cherishing anger or resentment. The mixture of glee and sorrow you feel when a minor maniac gets fired from the White House but the major one clings on? "Merry-go-sorry". Need a word for the people who repost conspiracy theories on Facebook? They're "roukers", those who spread tales or rumours.