Definition: The sound—particularly chirping—that insects make. Hot summer days are filled with the fritinancy of cicadas in chorus. This word is a rare beast. An edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in 1898 spelled it 'fritiniency'—but when spotted in the wild these days, it is more often spelled as 'fritinancy'.
Definition: Pleasure felt or derived at another person's misfortune. I always experience schadenfreude when I see a bad (or otherwise incompetent) politician be interviewed by a good (i.e. scathing) journalist.
You’d think it’d be pretty easy to spot what it is that a website is trying to tell you and separate the fact from the opinion. But sometimes, the point might be harder to spot than you realise. Rory’s post about exponential numbers included an aside in square brackets that used to say: Some quick [...]
Definition: Basaltic lava forming very rough jagged masses with a light and frothy texture. This word originated in Hawaii and is the first entry in the Oxford English Dictionary. A'a looks like this: It is probably also what you'd say if you saw the above coming towards you.
Definition: The doctrine that everything tends towards an ultimate good According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the difference between agathism and optimism is that optimism sees the good in everything that happens. Agathism recognises that bad things happen—but these things are ultimately for the best. What exactly is the difference? Not sure—but I imagine it's [...]
Definition: Unintentionally using a word or phrase that means something different to what you mean to say One example is saying 'literally' when you really mean 'figuratively'. However, heterophemy can strike anyone at any time—no one is the suppository of all wisdom. Yes, literally as well as figuratively.
Definition: The warmth of the winter sun. A related word is 'apricate' meaning to bask in the sun. This got me thinking about apricots—because they look a bit like a sun, if you hold one at arm's length and squint. And they are tasty when you bake them into warm cookies. However, the word 'apricot' [...]
Definition: An awkward situation or affair So, I was born in Australia but I look a bit Indian. People on buses in Sydney think I can't speak English. So do shopkeepers in Kolkata. Slight kankedorts ensue when they all realise I can. I'd be in a bit of trouble if I couldn't. Semaphore is hard.
Definition: An urge to do something inadvisable. Audrey was walking down the highway when she espied a grasshopper-infested cornfield. It was the meaning of life. She was a chicken, you see, and her mother had always told her never to eat grasshoppers. Seized by a fit of cacoethes, she ran across the road and caused [...]
Definition: Fear of bathing My cat has ablutophobia.