Unusual words and phrases in Blyton - dictionary needed?

[Fiona1986]

I call my son pestiferous all the time, I wonder if this is where I learned it

[Anita Bensoussane]

I've come across the word "pertled" twice in Enid Blyton's writing, but I don't recall seeing it anywhere else. It's used in the poem 'Fairy Money' (1924) and in a 'From My Window' article in Teachers World (December 9th 1925 - 'Found: A Little House'). In both the poem and the article, Enid says that a robin "pertled up and down".

[Barnard]

I think, in a Secret Seven story, a burglar is described as ‘our burglarious friend’.
I can’t remember which book, though.

[MJE]

     A couple from the Famous Five:

  stentorian (voice - very loud)
  fusillade (of barks by Timmy)

[Bertie]

Thanks for merging my post yesterday with this one. The previous post had been in 2017 so no wonder I hadn't seen this thread!

But I'm glad it's been revived as it's an interesting read - 'Tatterdemalions' and 'Ingots' are two of the words I'm sure I first encountered through Enid.

Re: dictionaries / parents frustration. My mum, who still reads plenty of EB, was only saying the other day how she used to get on her parents nerves as a child as she would always be asking the meaning of any word new to her. Eventually they bought her a dictionary to look them up herself - which started her life long love of reading dictionaries as well!

Fortunately, she was a lot more patient with me and would happily explain about any unusual words / questions about plot flaws - though, thanks to my mum's love of them, we always had plenty of dictionaries about the house growing up so it was also easy to look them up as well.

Some great recent suggestions. I've never heard the word 'pertled' before, in any context. And stentorian and fusillade, while words I'm obviously familiar with now, are the very kind that I'd have had to ask about or look up as a youngster.

[MJE]

What is a tatterdemalion? I vaguely remember that word from somewhere, now that you mention it - but I'm not sure what it means. It *sounds* like it means an untidy, wild child - like Jo, perhaps. Is intuition guiding me well there?

[Bertie]

Yes, MJE, that's pretty much it. I'm not sure if it's just about children, but it's said about people with an untidy appearance - so the likes of Jo and Tassie would suit it. I assume the first part is obviously based on 'tatters / tattered'. Not sure about the second part of the word.

Enid uses it in Five Fall Into Adventure, when they've been lost in the woods and Jo helps them get back. So Joan the cook is actually including Julian, Dick and Anne in with it as well as Jo as they all looked a mess by the time they staggered home.

[Anita Bensoussane]

My mum sometimes used to call my sister and me tatterdemalions when we'd been playing outside and came in looking messy.

Bertie, I also learnt the word "ingots" from Five on a Treasure Island.

[Moonraker]

And I am indebted to Enid for learning the difference between stalactites and stalagmites.

[Boatbuilder]

I wouldn't mind betting that many/most children in our generation carry the same indebtedness to Enid in relation to those words, Nigel.