Word Tasting Notes

languid, languish If you're lolling about with little to do, take a look at these lines of verse:

atrocious I have always been fond of the word atrocious, and, alas, it has never stopped being useful

soporific Sometimes I feel that sleep is like a thick and heady liquid and I am a piece of drying

How do you say “succinct”? My latest article for The Week looks at a divide that not everyone is even

A poem: Tidbits from Another Janeite, by Emma Clive Brown One of the viewers of my YouTube videos

crapolavoro, messterpiece One of my favourite Italian words is capolavoro. Literally it means '

wisened, wizened To have been, or not to have been? As a friend of mine has put it, “What could it

caprice “The only difference between a caprice and a lifelong passion,” Oscar Wilde wrote, “is that

cheapskate Words are free, for which let us be glad, for we may be both profligate and cheapskate,

maunche present I just love a replete historical dictionary full of quirks and oddities, and by that

Love, Desire, and Tension: Structural Editing of Nonfiction Here's the presentation I gave at the

Alamo Álamo is a Spanish name for a tree. The word is related, way back, to elm – you can see the

nattitude I have a new attitude, an attitude of nattitude. Not for nothing, I don't want to be

Why the y's? My latest article for The Week is on the reason for the many y's in

brooding The thing about brooding is, chicks love it. No, seriously. A hen sits and broods, keeping

vernality Some people are so desperate for a bit of the green, they will do whatever it takes. It

Don't miss the craic! It's St. Patrick's Day, and for my latest article for The Week I

vestuous I was watching a video yesterday about a 32-hour train trip through Argentina, an

labant Slush has slushed slipperily, and even (or especially) for the fleet of foot the streets are

When is a staycation not a staycation? We have a paradoxical view of travel and time off in English.

Rules and laws For Grammar Day, I want to talk briefly about laws and rules, and the fact that some

consternation How would you describe a state of consternation? Is it when something just… throws you?

Travel or travail? Last week, I quipped on Twitter, “Says something that English and French looked at

exiguousness This word belongs to that special class of words like monosyllabic that absolutely do

invious On a map of our planet there are scarcely more than half a dozen great invious patches

Decadence: good or bad – or both? Why is it, exactly, that we use a word for decay (and not tooth

Pronunciation tip: Dutch names Any time I get to watch speed skating, I can't help but notice two

outvite I don't really need to explain the meaning and derivation of this word, do I? https://www

Pronunciation tip: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic venues I've done a quick pronunciation tip video

icicle Those icicles are sneaky things. You have to look up. Specifically, you have to look up why