Darkness has always been a mainstay in children’s content, be it literature, film or video games. While sometimes it’s less obvious in shows like Sesame Street or Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, it could be considered a central theme for Roald Dahl’s children’s stories.

It isn’t as if Dahl had a shortage of inspiration before he came to publish some of the highest regarded children’s books within the last decade of his life. His earlier, non-children’s work includes writing for the late 1950s series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and 1967’s James Bond movie You Only Live Twice, and this was just in his writing career. He was born in Wales and went on to be a fighter pilot in The Royal Air Force in WWII, a diplomat, and an intelligence officer before releasing tales like Matilda, James And The Giant Peach and The BFG.

Dahl had a way with words that appealed to children so much that he invented over 500 new words, offering a kid-friendly language to support his storytelling. Six of his words were actually adopted into the Oxford Dictionary in 2016.

As we have an appreciation for Dahl and his works⁠—the good, the dark and the undeniably Dahl—we’ve selected 11 words to incorporate into your everyday vocabulary. Because when you look at 2020 parallel to the tyrant Mrs. Trunchbull or with how Willie Wonka seamlessly rolls with the punches when Augustus Gloop gets sucked under the chocolate river, there’s definitely room for some made-up words to describe the state of the world.

Definition: Where catastrophic and disastrous meet, catasterous is very, very bad. Found in The BFG, it’s used when he finds himself in a compromising situation. 

Recommended use: When you go to cop on the SNKRS App and it’s sold out: catasterous!

Definition: The Manhugger is one of the unfriendly giants found in The BFG residing in Giant Country. Despite sounding loving, they actually crush their victims in their grips before they eat them in the same manner a python would. 

Recommended use: “Her foot is on your neck. She’s a Manhugger!” Or run back Nelly Furtado’s 2006 single “Man Eater,” replace it with Manhugger and you’ll have a full understanding of its use.

Definition: Plussy describes someone that is full of life and energy and is found in Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator. It’s used like this: “She’s a Minus no longer! She’s a lovely Plus! She’s as plussy as plussy can be!”

Recommended use: As it’s derived from the word plus but fancier and sounds kind of like flossy, plussy should be used exclusively to describe Cardi B.

Definition: Spliffling describes something that is magnificent or splendid. It’s used in The BFG to describe the Great Ballroom. It’s a blend of splendid and spiffing, an outdated word that means excellent.

Recommended use: As it sounds kind of like “spliff” and is used to describe something fantastic, it should be used to in reference to something that’s kind of magical like L.A. sunsets or seeing the stars over the desert.

Definition: An argy is an argument, and it’s used in The BFG.

Recommended use: When you and your significant other have a small disagreement, but it isn’t significant enough to reconsider the relationship, it’s an argy. Because it sounds like “argument” and “aggy” but also kind of cute, it makes me think of when a tiny child is mad at you. “I took my phone away and we got in an argy. He’ll live.”

Definition: Muggled is messy. Kind of like muddled but definitely bad, muggled is used in The BFG.

Recommended use: When your friend is being a hot mess but maybe you don’t want to call them a hot mess to their face, you can say, “You seem a little muggled lately.” Yikes.

Definition: Mushious is mushy and delicious. It’s found in The Enormous Crocodile when the croc describes something luscious. 

Recommended use: For every #couplesgoals or “this could be us but you playin’” type of circumstance, but make it rich and luxurious like John Legend singing to Chrissy Teigan from behind an expensive grand piano—mushious.

Definition: Murderful is a descriptor for those that always have morbid ways about them or thoughts of killing others. It’s found in The BFG and used in reference to an evil giant that eats people. (Dark.)

Recommended use: Like wonderful but murder, I can personally think of a few specific, creepy people I’d describe as murderful and would aptly avoid for like…ever. It’s the perfect word to use to describe the mugshot on every news story with the headline “Florida Man…”

Definition: If someone says you speak dumbsilly, you’re nonsensical or you’re talking crazy. It’s found in The BFG. 

Recommended use: Much like “dumb” or “stupid” used to be put in front of words to emphasize them such as, “That puppy is dumb small,” dumbsilly could easily be used in response to your friends speaking before they think. If someone recommends linking up in downtown L.A. on Friday around 6 PM when they know you’re in Santa Monica, you’d respond, “That’s dumbsilly.”

Definition: A chatbag is someone who never stops talking. This term is found in The BFG and is used to describe certain creatures in the story who are constantly yapping. Another term Dahl made up with the same meaning is a natterbox, which is essentially a non-stop chatterbox. 

Recommended use: Chatbag should definitely be incorporated into your everyday lingo as a drag of those who love to hear the sound of their own voice and hate silence.

Definition: A notmucher is someone who doesn’t do very much or won’t amount to much. This is found in The BFG when Sophie is pointing out how The Queen is not a squeakpip nor a notmucher. 

Recommend use: “When people become weed-heads they become sluggish, lazy, stupid and unconcerned,” is what immediately comes to mind. “Be Yourself” on Frank Ocean’s 2016 instant-classic album Blonde is a foreboding and motherly voicemail interlude. Essentially you never want to have a group project with a notmucher. And, yes, that boyfriend your mom also pointed out that lacked ambition is most definitely a notmucher.

Definition: Found in The Twits, HUGTIGHT (stylized in all caps, always) is the glue that Mr. Twit used to catch birds for his weekly bird pie. (WTF!)

Recommended use: I hoped to end this list on a wholesome note, yet most the positive terms from Dahl are a tiny bit too childish for everyday adulthood, so I think we just repurpose this morbid term from the bird-catching glue to a verb describing what you want to do to your friends and fam every day.

Original Roald Dahl art by Sir Quentin Blake

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