Trust Gloin to say exactly what he means.
- 01.095 Gloin speaking: ‘Humph!’ (or some snort more or less like that).
Howl
Shivers down our spines? High-register word!
- 02.072 than he gave an awful howl.
- 02.080 It made him howl,
- 04.012 The wind was howling
- 04.033 The Great Goblin gave a truly awful howl of rage
- 04.036 howls, growls and curses;
- 04.044 and howls
- 06.049 All of a sudden they heard a howl away down hill,
- 06.049 a long shuddering howl.
- 06.049 It was wolves howling at the moon,
- 06.056 for there were howls all round them now,
- 06.058 howling into the clearing.
- 06.065 while those that were burning were running about howling
- 06.067 and hear the howling
- 06.070 and howling round the trunks,
- 06.082 There was a howl of anger
- 07.132 in which there came the howl of hunting wolves
- 17.048 and howls rent the air afar.
- 17.059 The bodyguard of Bolg came howling against them,
Hoot
Owls, dwarves, and the goblins of Chapter 5 do it!
- 02.041 hoot twice like a barn-owl
- 02.042 that he could not hoot even once like any kind of owl
- 02.072 or to hoot like an owl,
- 05.149 hooting and hallooing
- 07.096 and the hoot of owls.
Hmmm
Etymologically we learn that this word could represent a hum or a throat-clearing noise. While elves are high, smelling them is as prosaic as it gets.
- 03.013 “Hmmm! it smells like elves!”
“h’m | hm, int.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 27 May 2015.
Gurgle
Like the visages of the gargoyles, gurgling frightens us!
- 05.111 and gurgling sound horrible to listen to.
- 12.011 This grew to the unmistakable gurgling noise
Guffaw
Not only is a guffaw a kind of laugh, OED affirms that it is formed echoically from the sound of the laugh it names. Only giants do it in our work.
- 04.005 They could hear the giants guffawing
“guffaw, v.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 27 May 2015.
Grunt
Although three of these grunts are everyday dwarvish and Beornish noises, in Chapter 8 they are of unknown Mirkwood origin.
- 01.049 that at last he grunted ‘pray don’t mention it,’
- 07.154 grunted the dwarves,
- 08.003 There were queer noises too, grunts, scufflings,
- 09.029 or grunted or whispered
Grumble
While in other stories grumbling could be the warning sign of thunder, in The Hobbit it is always the sound of complaint and earns the “low” tag.
- 02.029 “To think it will soon be June!” grumbled Bilbo,
- 02.039 (and a good deal of grumbling
- 05.149 so soon they went back grumbling
- 06.006 The dwarves were grumbling,
- 06.043 grumbled Bombur;
- 06.057 in spite of his grumbling.
- 07.108 and he was grumbling about it,
- 07.136 The dwarves were inclined to grumble at this,
- 08.026 Don’t start grumbling against orders,
- 08.029 (still grumbling)
- 08.066 he grumbled,
- 08.125 and were not merely grumbling.
- 09.032 and started grumbling loudly
- 09.035 and it was no good grumbling
- 09.038 and grumbled like a large dog
- 09.044 he grumbled.
- 09.066 some grumbled.
- 10.039 There were no more groans or grumbles.
- 12.034 they began to grumble at the hobbit,
- 12.035 If there is any grumbling to be done,
- 13.056 grumbled the hobbit.
- 15.060 he grumbled to himself,
- 16.010 grumbled the fat dwarf.
Groan
Once again we affirm that whether a sound is funny, mundane, or scary depends entirely on what’s making it.
- 02.033 groaned Dori
- 06.035 groaned Bilbo,
- 06.085 but Dori groaned ‘my poor legs,
- 07.012 The dwarves groaned
- 07.099 the branches groaned, the forest moaned,
- 07.148 groaned the hobbit.
- 10.010 through the shallow water to lie groaning on the shore.
- 10.010 Groans came from inside,
- 10.012 so after a few more groans he got up
- 10.039 There were no more groans or grumbles.
- 11.032 The dwarves groaned,
- 13.003 they groaned.
Gong
Goblin poetry: can’t help but laugh and shake in your shoes!
- 04.020 Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!
words that you were saying 