I recently received an email informing me of archaic English words that we could usefully revive and use today. They’re as pertinent now as they were a few centuries ago. You may not find them in the shorter Oxford Dictionary but they’re on Google. These days that seems to matter more!

Fudgel is one. It means pretending to work whilst actually doing nothing. I have to say I’m rather good at that. So too were the British in the 18th century when they coined the word. There’s another that describes a characteristic common to most of us: Dysania. It describes the extreme difficulty many have getting out of bed in the morning. I plead guilty.

And then there’s a term for the sort of person that undoubtedly irritates each of us. We’ve all come across people who give opinions on subjects they know nothing about. Indeed, they can be quite voluble and very passionate. The word is ultracrepidarian.

There’s also an interesting term that was devised with the government in mind. It’s kakistrocracy, which means government by the least qualified or, even, the worst people. And, not surprisingly, there’s a term for those who in such circumstances are loud in their complaints. It’s the 17th-century word grumbletonians, although it sounds more jocular than serious. And if you’re one it’s probably because you’ve discerned your rulers are snollygosters, which, in the 17th century, meant a shrewd and unprincipled person who is a politician.

Now, you might have begun to ask yourself a question. Am I indulging in the written equivalent of twattling? It’s a 16th-century word which means gossiping idly about unimportant things. Those who do it will tell you it’s a most enjoyable way of passing the time.

There are a few other words that are perfect for the people we often meet. A lanspresado is someone who always conveniently shows up with no money at all. You’re forced to pay for them. It was obviously a common custom in the 18th century, whence the word.

Whilst a groke is someone who stares while others are eating, hoping they’ll share their food. It’s an old Scots word. I dare say we’ve all felt frobly-mobly, which means neither well nor unwell. I’m frequently in that in-between state. Others call it hypochondria!

And then there’s something we all do. How often have you lain awake at night worrying about the day ahead? It’s called uhtceare. And how often has your conclusion been to put off what you could do tomorrow until the day after? It’s called perendinate.

There are two delightful words which I can’t help chortle over. First, shivviness, the uncomfortable feeling of wearing new underwear. I imagine it’s the only such word in any language. And then there’s cacoethes. It’s 16th-century English for the irresistible urge to do something inadvisable.

Now, two words which I suspect you’ll never use. If you come across a woman with the manners of an old one — the female equivalent of an old fogey — you ought to call her a peg puff. And if her derriere has caught your fancy, you might say she’s callipygian.

Let me end with something we all enjoy — lying wrapped up in a comfortable manner. Since it is winter, preferably in a razai or duvet. It’s called grufeling. Apparently, the Scots do a lot of it. They coined the word.

Karan Thapar is the author of Devil’s Advocate: The Untold Story.The views expressed are personal