Runic, Extempore

Runic- relating to the symbols used by Germanic peoples for writing in the Middle Ages; also, having some secret or mysterious meaning

Ex: The archaeologists pondered over the runic designs on the clay pot found at the excavation site. While the more senior scientists tried to equate the drawings to common elements of cities from around that time period- things like irrigation canals and multi-tiered temples- the undergraduate Summer intern kept saying, “I swear to god, no joke, I think that’s the left Twix factory. You know, like from the commercials where there were two competing Twix factories, one that made the left Twix and one that made the right Twix.” The dig leader wondered just how much radiocarbon dating work he would need to assign to this kid in order to guarantee that the radiation emitted from the process would give him cancer by August.

Extempore- spoken or done without preparation; on-the-spot

Ex: The homeless man on the corner of West 140^th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard was engaged in some sort of extempore street dance performance of the Harlem withdrawals shake.