By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
The stuff of literature is, of course, words. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge observed, ‘Prose = words in their best order; โ poetry = the best words in the best order.’ In this post, we’ve gathered up 27 of the best facts about words that we’ve unearthed since beginning this blog a couple of years ago. Where necessary, we’ve provided a link to further information.
25 rare phobias – how many of these do you suffer from?
It’s well-known that a fear of spiders is ‘arachnophobia’, but what’s a fear of wasps? What’s the name for a fear of remaining single forever? We’ve been scouring the reference books for some less well-known phobias and have compiled the definitive list. Although some of the following phobias are pretty weird, we like to think that many of the phenomena they describe are quite common.
Koinoniphobia is a fear of being in a room full of people.
Deipnophobia is the dread of dinner-parties.
Scopophobia is a fear of being stared at.
Medectophobia is the fear that oneโs penis is visible through oneโs clothes.
Automysophobia is a fear of being dirty.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
Ever caught yourself thinking, ‘There should be a word for that. Is there a word for that?’ We’re here to help. In this new post, we’ve gathered up ten useful words which should be better known, but aren’t. Many of them, of course, have literary origins or histories, which we’ll mention and discuss as we go.
P. G. Wodehouse invented some fantastically expressive words. He is widely regarded as a master of the English language – even being compared to Shakespeare – and some of his coinages have been honoured with an entry in theย Oxford English Dictionary. The ten words that follow all appear to have been coined by Wodehouse and … Read more
Byย Luna Gradinลกฤak Milorad Paviฤ (1929-2009) once said that in his life he experienced something which most famous writers get only after death. Certainly, he thought of glory and fame, which he lived to achieve. And it is true: his Dictionary of the Khazardsย (1984; English translation 1988)ย at the very beginning sold in enormous quantities. Nowdays he … Read more