nertz means nuts. It carries an Arena rating of 1345, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, nertz ranks #132 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #215 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #4,303 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #5,174 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
Why “nertz” is a great word
A word meaning crazy, foolish, or used as an exclamation to dismiss something as nonsense. A euphemistic alteration of the slang word 'nuts', likely influenced by American accents that insert an 'r' sound; first attested in the early 1930s. Unlike 'balderdash', which targets only senseless speech, or 'deranged', which implies clinical pathology, nertz is a volatile, all-purpose slang grenade. It is the gambler pushing his last chip on a doomed bluff, the snort of laughter at a pompous claim, or the defiant shout at unavoidable bad luck—a brief, bright rebellion against a world determined to be ridiculous.
Etymology
Perhaps from nerts (“nuts, crazy”)
name
- A fast-paced multiplayer card game involving multiple decks of playing cards.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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