cantankerous, crotchety, ornery
(adjective) having a difficult and contrary disposition; “a cantankerous and venomous-tongued old lady”- Dorothy Sayers
cantankerous, bloody-minded
(adjective) stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate; “unions...have never been as bloody-minded about demarcation as the shipbuilders”- Spectator
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Perhaps derived from earlier contenkerous, from contentious + rancorous.
cantankerous (comparative more cantankerous, superlative most cantankerous)
Given to or marked by an ill-tempered nature; ill-tempered, cranky, surly, crabby.
Note: Cantankerous is generally used to describe an unpleasant elderly person in a slightly pejorative manner. However, the term can be used to people in general, livestock, and machinery as well.
• cranky
• grouchy
• grumpy
• ornery
• surly
• truculent
Source: Wiktionary
Can*tan"ker*ous, a.
Definition: Perverse; contentious; ugly; malicious. [Colloq.] -- Can*tan"ker*ous*ly, adv.
– Can*tan"ker*ous*ness, n. The cantankerous old maiden aunt. Theckeray.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
21 December 2024
(noun) a forest fire fighter who is sent to battle remote and severe forest fires (often for days at a time)
Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.
