Project RW Headquarters


Coordinator of the Project:

Ms. Baba Jaga
Dept. of Earthly Languages, UAbs
90210 Kocourkov
Absurdistan

The project RW (rhyming words) consists of collecting rhyming words. It was actually pointed out to me by Jed Hartman that some of these words are not technically rhyming, some of them have just similar structure, but if you take a look at the collection below, you'll get the picture. Sometimes, these words are called "second order reduplications", as opposed to "first order reduplications" that I simply call "identical words". So far most of the words come from only a few languages, so if you know any other, let Ms. Baba Jaga know and she'll include them.


Czech Rhyming Words

CIMPR-CAMPR (to pieces)
C^ACHRY-MACHRY (unfair or unclear deals)
C^A'RY-MA'RY (a generic incantation)
C^ORO-MORO (mess; turmoil)
ENYKY-BENYKY (a nursery rhyme used to select one kid out of many)
HALA-BALA (recklessly)
HATLA-MATLA (blurry painting, a mess, inarticulate speech)
HOGO-FOGO (posh)
HOKUS-POKUS (same as hocus-pocus in English)
JAKZ^-TAKZ^ (so-so)
JAKYS-TAKYS (of dubious origin; vague)
KLI'D^O-PI'D^O (easily; without fear)
KRINDY-PINDY (interjection, sort of like "oh, my")
KR^I'Z^EM-KRA'Z^EM (criss-cross, without destination)
LA'RY-FA'RY (nonsense)
LA'Z^O-PLA'Z^O (in a leisurely manner)
MY'RNIX-TY'RNIX (without any reason and/or effort)
SAKUM-PIKUM (altogether)
SAKY-PAKY (belongings)
TECHTLE-MECHTLE (a clandestine intimate relationship)
TR^ESKY-PLESKY (nonsense)
VOLKY-NEVOLKY (not really wanting to)


English Rhyming Words

there were so many English words that I had to create an English pavilion and move them all there.


French Rhyming Words

BONANT-MALANT (ok, as in - it's going ok)
CAHIN-CAHA (barely making it; with difficulty)
COUCI-COUCA (little by little)
PELE-MELE (in complete disorder)


German Rhyming Words

DANN UND WANN (now and then)
HOLTERDIEPOLTER (helter skelter)
HOPPELPOPPEL (eggnog/breakfast made from scrambled egg with ham and fried potatoes)
IN HULLE UND FULLE (abundant/aplenty)
IN SAUS UND BRAUS ((to live) in clover/the Life of Riley)
KLATSCH UND TRATSCH (gossip)
KLEIN, ABER FEIN (small but mighty)
KUNTERBUNTER (motley/higgledy-piggledy)
LUG UND TRUG (a pack of lies)
MEHR SCHLECHT ALS RECHT (after a fashion)
MIR NICHTS, DIR NICHTS (at the drop of a hat/just like that)
MIT ACH UND KRACH (by the skin of one's teeth)
RUCK ZUCK (quickly)
SCHLECHT UND RECHT (rough and ready)
TRIPPER_CLIPPER (German slang) a holiday flight to Thailand, taken for the purpose of "sex tourism"
UNTER DACH UND FACH (in the bag/sewn up)
WACKELDACKEL (nodding dog)


Hebrew Rhyming Words

TOHU_BOHU (describing the primordial condition of the earth)


Hungarian Rhyming Words

AKOM-BAKOM (the scribble)
CICA-MICA (a cat; used by kids)
CSERE-BERE (exchanges)
EGYEDEM-BEGYEDEM (a nursery rhyme used to select one kid out of many)
EJNYE-BEJNYE (a bad thing to do; usually parents say this to kids)
ETYELE-PETYELE (to treat someone as being very close)
HANDA-BANDA (a lie, not a true story)
HOKA-BOKA (playing and joking)
ICI-PICI (small, little)
ICIRI-PICIRI (similar to ici-pici, but stronger)
INGO-BINGO (adj., meaning waving motion of flowers in the wind)
IRKA-FIRKA (illegible handwriting)
KUTYULI-MUTYULI (a dog; usually used by kids)
LACA-FACA (to be undecisive, to think a lot what to do)
LOCSI-POCSI (to splash)
RIZI-BIZI (a meal made out of rice and peas)
SULI-BULI (a school party)
SZEDETT-VEDETT (randomly chosen)
SZEDTE-VETTE (adj., unorderly, usually about children)
TARKA-BARKA (motley)
TERE-FERE (to chat)
UGRA-BUGRA (to hop around)
UGRI-BUGRI (same as ugra-bugra, only faster)


Latin Rhyming Words

CEDUSA-MEDUSA (a latin name for a certain bug)
NOLENS-VOLENS (out of necessity)


Polish Rhyming Words

CZARY-MARY (something mysterious, magic)
JAKO-TAKO (so so, "in the norm" - as in the reply to "how are you")
SZACHER-MACHER (dubious business)


Identical Words

After I included Latin names of certain animals, identical words grew so large that I had to place them into a separate file.


List of contributors

Pierre ABBAT
Ildiko BAJKO
Christopher CONSEIL
Veronica CONTRERAS
Jim CROTTI
Mark DAVID
Robert DAGIT
Jessica EVANS
Chris GOLE
Dorota GUT
Jed HARTMAN
Jan KUCERA
Arthur LAWRIE
Jim MOSKOWITZ
Karel OLIVA
Laura PENNYCUICK
Lubos PICK
Diane PORTER
Mirko ROKYTA
Jan REHACEK
Jenny SMITH
Sloane STALDER
Neil TAYLOR


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