Gluttony: A Dictionary for the Indulgent
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inordinate
(in-OR-den-it)
ADJECTIVE: An excessive amount; immoderate.
insatiable
(in-SEY-shuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE: Unable to be satisfied; insatiate.
To the wait staff, the patron sitting in the corner booth seemed downright INSATIABLE, finishing off plate after plate without pause.
intemperance
(in-TEM-per-uhns)
NOUN: A lack of self-control; the gratification of an excessive desire, especially one for alcohol.
The miser and the glutton are two facetious buzzards: one hides his store, and the other stores his hide.
—JOSH BILLINGS
intoxicated
(in-TOK-si-kay-ted)
ADJECTIVE: Drunk; overly excited or happy to the point of acting foolish.
irrepressible
(ir-ih-PRES-uh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE: Uncontrollable; unable to be restrained.
irresistible
(ir-re-ZIS-tuh-buhl)
ADJECTIVE: Impossible to resist; extremely appealing.
itch
(ich)
NOUN: A strong, restless desire.
J
Gluttony demands a heavy tribute but gives the basest returns: the more delicate the food, the more reeking the dung.
—POPE INNOCENT III
jam-pack
(JAM-pak)
VERB: To fill to capacity or pack as tightly as possible; to crowd.
jaunt
(jawnt)
NOUN: A short journey taken for pleasure.
jigger
(JIG-er)
NOUN: A glass used to measure alcohol, usually approximately one and a half ounces.
jiggle
(JIG-uhl)
VERB: To move up and down in a short, jerky motion.
jones
(johnz)
VERB: To crave, usually referring to narcotics.
jovial
(JOH-vee-uhl)
ADJECTIVE: Characterized by a hearty sense of humor; jolly.
jowl
(joul)
NOUN: A fold of fatty flesh hanging under the neck.
The surly old professor was nicknamed Bulldog by his students due to his prominent JOWLS.
juicehead
(JOOS-hed)
NOUN: A heavy drinker.
K
katzenjammer
(KAT-suhn-jam-er)
NOUN: A hangover.
keg
(keg)
NOUN: A small barrel, usually containing five to ten gallons.
keister
(KEE-ster)
NOUN: Buttocks.
kill
(kil)
VERB: To eat or drink the last of something.
kitchen
(KICH-uhn)
NOUN: The room in the house where meals are prepared and usually consumed.
knock back
(nok bak)
VERB: To drink.
VERB: To gulp down a drink—especially an alcoholic one—quickly.
The regulars sat at the bar KNOCKING BACK drinks and laughing loudly; whatever problems they entered with would surely be forgotten, at least until the next morning.
I am not a glutton—
I am an explorer of food.
—ERMA BOMBECK
L
large
(lahrj)
ADJECTIVE: Big in comparison to what it should be; overweight.
largess
(lar-JESS)
NOUN: Extreme generosity, but with a condescending air; charity.
lavish
(LAV-ish)
VERB: To spend excessive amounts of money; to give generous gifts.
With whispers circulating of the family’s wealth dwindling, they held a party with a LAVISH spread of the finest foods in order to dispel what everyone else was saying.
lawless
(LAW-lis)
ADJECTIVE: Without law or without regard to the law; unruly.
laxity
(LAX-ih-tee)
NOUN: Carelessness; the state of being loose or slack.
libation
(li-BAY-shun)
NOUN: An alcoholic beverage.
liking
(LAHY-king)
NOUN: A fondness or tendency toward a particular thing or person; a feeling of pleasantness.
limitless
(LIM-it-les)
ADJECTIVE: Without limits or boundaries; infinite.
liqueur
(li-KER)
NOUN: A sweet-tasting alcoholic beverage.
longing
(LONG-ing)
NOUN: A strong desire for a person or thing that is often out of reach.
Lucullan
(loo-KULH-uhn)
ADJECTIVE: After the great Roman general and politician Lucullus and his lavish banquets, Lucullan means sumptuous or indulgent, especially with regard to food and drink.
luxuriate
(luhg-ZHOOR-ee-eyt)
VERB: To enjoy oneself and treat oneself to luxuries; to delight in.
luxurious
(luhg-ZHOOR-ee-us)
ADJECTIVE: Something marked by high quality; sumptuous.
Spending so much time in such a high-end kitchen, the chef came to forget what a LUXURIOUS ingredient truffle oil actually was and would use it without measuring or thinking twice in just about every dish.
luxury
(LUGH-zhoor-ee)
NOUN: An unnecessary item that is extremely enjoyable, but never essential.
M
Glutton: one who digs his grave with his teeth.
—FRENCH PROVERB
magniloquent
(mag-NIL-oh-kwuhnt)
ADJECTIVE: Pompous or boastful.
masticate
(MASS-tih-kate)
VERB: To grind or chew something with one’s teeth; chomp.
maudlin
(MAWD-lin)
ADJECTIVE: Overly emotional or sentimental, often as the result of alcohol consumption.
While initially his overindulgence in the drink would bring out a very cheery side of Timothy, a more MAUDLIN man would appear during the wee hours of the night, almost near tears over his many laments.
modus vivendi
(MO-duss vih-VEN-dee)
NOUN: A lifestyle; way of life.
munch
(munch)
VERB: To chew one’s food with purpose—and often with accompanying sounds.
The spoiled little child sat in her chair MUNCHING away as the maid cleaned up the spills and messes she made during her meals.
munchies
(MUNCH-ees)
NOUN: Snacks; “to have the munchies” can also mean a desire for junk food.
munificent
(myoo-NIF-ih-sent)
ADJECTIVE: Extremely generous or giving.
N
GLUTTON, n.
A person who escapes the evils of moderation by committing dyspepsia.
—AMBROSE BIERCE
nausea
(NAW-zee-uh)
NOUN: Feeling sick to one’s stomach with the urge to vomit.
nauseate
(NAW-zee-eyt)
VERB: To make someone feel nausea.
needless
(NEED-les)
ADJECTIVE: Unnecessary; pointless.
never-ending
(NEV-er-EN-ding)
ADJECTIVE: Not likely to ever end or stop; infinite.
nibble
(NIB-uhl)
VERB: To eat something with a series of small, delicate bites.
The queen made it a point to NIBBLE neatly on whatever she was eating whenever she was in front of people, but as her portly appearance could attest, she had no qualms about devouring whatever food was within reach whenever she was alone.
nosh
(nosh)
VERB: To snack, particularly between meals. As a noun, nosh refers to a snack.
numerous
(NOO
M-er-uhs)
ADJECTIVE: Many; abundant.
NUMEROUS courses, NUMEROUS bottles, NUMEROUS servings—everything was in abundance whenever they gathered for a meal.
O
obese
(oh-BEES)
ADJECTIVE: Morbidly fat or overweight.
oenophile
(EE-nuh-file)
NOUN: A connoisseur of fine wines.
For some reason Sophia considers herself a true OENOPHILE; she must not realize that constant consumption is not what makes one a connoisseur.
omnivorous
(om-NIV-er-uhs)
ADJECTIVE: Eating both animal and vegetable foods.
opulent
(OP-yoo-lent)
ADJECTIVE: Characterized by wealth and expensive tastes.
outsized
(out-SAHYZD)
ADJECTIVE: Much larger than expected; enormous.
My regimen is lust and avarice for exercise, gluttony and sloth for relaxation.
—MASON COOLEY
overabundance
(OH-ver-uh-BUHN-duhns)
NOUN: A surplus or greater amount of something than what is needed.
overdo
(oh-ver-DOO)
VERB: To spoil something by letting it last too long or doing it too often.
overdrinking
(oh-ver-DRINGK-ing)
VERB: To drink too much.
overeat
(oh-ver-EET)
VERB: To eat too much, particularly if it’s done habitually.
It might be typical to OVEREAT as a family during the holidays or on special occasions, but the Petersons choose to overindulge almost every night.
overfeed
(oh-ver-FEED)
VERB: To feed a person or thing more than its normal intake.
overflow
(oh-ver-FLOH)
NOUN: The amount of something that is left over when something—like a container—is filled to its capacity. The phrase can also be used to describe a precarious emotional state where one is overwhelmed by his or her own feelings.
overgorge
(oh-ver-GORJ)
VERB: To indulge in something to excess.
overindulgent
(oh-ver-in-DUHL-jent)
ADJECTIVE: Prone to binging.
overstress
(oh-ver-STRESS)
VERB: To emphasize something too much; to inflict an excess of psychological strain on another person.
overweight
(oh-ver-WEYT)
ADJECTIVE: Weighing more than what is normal; fat.
overwhelm
(oh-ver-WELM)
VERB: To inundate a person or thing with too much of something; deluge.
The intense amount of garlic in the dish OVERWHELMED the rest of the flavors, and the breath of those who ate a plate of the pasta would overwhelm their dining companions.
overzealous
(oh-ver-ZELL-us)
ADJECTIVE: Filled with intense enthusiasm or excitement.
P
packed
(pakt)
ADJECTIVE: Filled to capacity.
pamper
(PAM-per)
VERB: To indulge someone’s desires, especially luxurious desires.
pantophagous
(pan-TOFF-uh-gus)
ADJECTIVE: Eating or requiring a wide variety of foods.
In order to satisfy the master’s PANTOPHAGOUS appetite, the household employs three different chefs who specialize in different types of cuisines.
penchant
(PEN-chent)
NOUN: Having a strong liking for something.
It is immoral to get drunk because the headache comes after the drinking, but if the headache came first and the drunkenness afterwards, it would be moral to get drunk.
—SAMUEL BUTLER
perseverate
(per-SEV-ehr-eyt)
VERB: To continue repeating the same thing again and again.
piggish
(PIG-ish)
ADJECTIVE: Behaving like a pig by eating in a gluttonous manner or behaving in a generally stubborn way.
pleasure seeker
(PLEH-zhur SEEK-er)
NOUN: A person whose actions are motivated by the desire for pleasure; hedonist.
plenitude
(PLEN-ih-tood)
NOUN: An abundance of something.
plenteous
(PLEN-tee-uhs)
ADJECTIVE: An abundance; plentiful.
plentiful
(PLEN-tih-ful)
ADJECTIVE: In large supply.
plethora
(PLETH-er-uh)
NOUN: A large quantity of something; overabundance.
plump
(plump)
ADJECTIVE: Heavy or overweight; plump is often used in a more positive rather than derogatory manner.
Nathaniel’s PLUMP little fingers served as the perfect spoon when he slyly scooped the last of the cookie batter from the baker’s bowl.
podgy
(PAWD-jee)
ADJECTIVE: Pudgy.
polydipsia
(pol-ee-DIP-see-uh)
NOUN: An unusually excessive thirst.
porcine
(PORE-sein)
ADJECTIVE: Resembling a pig in behavior or appearance.
portly
(PORT-lee)
ADJECTIVE: Generously proportioned, but wearing it well.
postprandial
(pohst-PRAN-dee-uhl)
ADJECTIVE: Something that occurs after a meal, particularly dinner.
potable
(POH-tuh-bull)
NOUN: A liquid that is safe to drink, particularly one made from alcohol.
It is not truly a party unless there are plenty of POTABLES and edibles available for everybody to enjoy.
prodigal
(PROD-ih-gul)
ADJECTIVE: Having or giving something on a lavish scale.
prodigious
(pro-DIDGE-uss)
ADJECTIVE: Large in size, impact, or stature; impressive.
profligate
(PROF-li-geyt)
ADJECTIVE: Excessively wasteful.
profuse
(proh-FYOOS)
ADJECTIVE: Abundant; extravagant.
prolific
(pruh-LIFF-ick)
ADJECTIVE: Present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful.
Thankfully the garden’s strawberry plant was rather PROLIFIC, as Peter constantly plucked the ripe berries and popped them in his mouth whenever he passed by.
propensity
(pruh-PEN-sit-ee)
NOUN: An inclination or tendency.
pudge
(pudj)
NOUN: A person who is short and chubby.
pyriform
(PEER-uh-form)
ADJECTIVE: Pear-shaped.
The pleasures of the palate deal with us like the Egyptian thieves, who strangle those whom they embrace.
—SENECA
Q and R
quaff
(kwoff)
VERB: To drink something quickly and/or with relish.
quench
(kwench)
VERB: To satisfy one’s thirst; to subdue something.
Nothing seemed to QUENCH the drunk’s thirst as he continued drinking, not until he was full, but until he was passed out.
rabid
(RAB-id)