Word - 76

SURLY \SER-lee\ adjective

1 : menacing or threatening in appearance

*2 : irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner : crabbed

Example sentence:

Vicki almost reported the surly cashier to the store manager, but then decided against doing so, telling herself that he was probably just having a bad day.

Did you know?

In its very earliest uses in the 16th century, "surly" meant "majestic" or "lordly." These early meanings make sense when you know that this word is an alteration of Middle English "serreli," which probably comes from "sire, ser," a title formerly used as a form of address for men of rank or authority. So how did a word with such lofty beginnings come to be associated with grumbling rudeness? Arrogant and domineering behavior is sometimes associated with men of rank or position, and "surly" came to mean "haughty" or "imperious." These meanings (which are now obsolete) led to the "rude" sense that is very common today.

Word - 75

LOUT \LOUT\ noun

: an awkward brutish person

Example sentence:
Because the three louts behind him in the movie theater were being loud and obnoxious, Jonah decided to move to another seat.

Did you know?

"Lout" belongs to the large group of words we use to indicate an undesirable person, a boor, a bumpkin, a dolt, a clod. We’ve used "lout" in this way since the mid-1500s. As early as the 800s, however, "lout" functioned as a verb with the meaning "to bow in respect." No one is quite sure how the verb sense developed into a noun meaning "a brutish person." Perhaps the awkward posture of one bowing down led over time to the idea that the person was personally low and awkward as well.