The Oxford English Dictionary has become the word lover's Mount Everest ever since its initial publication eighty years ago. Weighing in a 62 kilograms, it is the dictionary to end all dictionaries.
Ammon Shea has been reading dictionaries since he was ten years old. Recently, Ammon set aside an entire year to read the OED with the aim at "compiling the most obscure, hilarious, oddly useful, and exquisitely useless gems" he discovered along the way. One man, one year, 21,730 pages!
You can read his story and all of his favorite words in his highly entertaining book Reading the OED.
I bought this book a few weeks ago but my wife stole it and she has been devouring it ever since, making good use of it for her frequent Facebook conversations … It's now back in my hands, where it belongs 🙂
Here are a few sample words to whet your appetite:
- somnificator = one who induces sleep in others
- constult = to act stupidly together
- gobemouche = one who believes anything, no mater how absurd
- jehu = a fast and reckless driver
- umbriphilous = fond of the shade
- zanthodontous = having teeth that are yellow, as do rodents
- obaginate = to annoy by repeating over and over and over and over …
Warning: reading this book could turn you into a cachinnator or a vocabularian!
Grinnagog!
Okay Nicole….you have to put me out of my suspense. I couldn’t even find that word online!!! Pleeeease tell me what that means.
it means fawning sychophant
It means a person who is constantly grinning!
o – and it’s one “n” – grinagog – SORRY
LOL! Thanks for the clarification 🙂
Ooooooh! That’ll will make for a nice Christmas pressie for this logophile! Thanks for the tip.
BTW, some preachers (not you, Mark) are quite the somnificators whilst there are those who obaginate the listeners with their overuse of Christian cliches : )
I think I am a bit of a grinagog 🙂
….and just to set the record straight – you, Mark Conner, said : “Honey, let me buy this book for you.”……This blog post has infelicitated me (caused unhappiness), and I am feeling mumpish (sullenly angry), in order to happify (truly, it’s a word – means to make happy) me I need chocolate. This faciendum (something that should be done) of buying chocolate will make you less of a dulcarnon (person in a dilemma)!
What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is my own 🙂
Zoilus
p.s. dark, chilli, fair trade chocolate….
Thanks for the definition Nicole. And yes, it does help if you spell it right 😛 LOL I was able to find it then. Mark…have you been speaking to MY husband when making up your “what’s yours is mine” rule HAHA. Lionfish….I needed to google your definition of the definition LOL I thought I had a pretty good vocabulary, but you all put me to shame. Perhaps I should be asking for this book for Christmas so I can keep up with this crowd!
Chilli chocolate! Yes! I am not alone.
You know Nicole…I’ve started to research this Fair Trade as my friends have been telling me about the fact that they won’t eat chocolate unless it’s from a Fair Trade company. Where does one get Fair Trade chocolate? And my relatives bring Belgian Chocolate over all the time…how would we tell if any of those companies deal in Fair Trade chocolate? Thanks for any help you can give me as I start to investigate this whole topic.
Hi Nicole,
Great to see you dialoguing on Mark’s blog 🙂
I guess, every poet has a “Zoulus” but we must not become a gobemouche 🙂 LOL Chocolates would do it for me too 🙂
Mark says “I think I am a bit of a grinagog :)”…
Don’t stick your hand up too early Mark – the real definition of grinagog is here! 🙂
http://www.babylon.com/definition/grinagog/English
The World Vision website is always a great place to start about educating ourselves on world poverty – how our everyday choices affect our global village. They have just released a new book: “Global Poverty for Dummies” – snapshots into all aspects of poverty.
Regarding Fair Trade:
http://www.videojug.com/interview/understanding-fair-trade-2
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/
http://www.fta.org.au/
Thanks Nicole….will go and have a look at those websites. As Marija said, it’s nice to see you blogging on Mark’s blog 🙂
OOPS. Sorry I meant Zoilus not Zoulus in my previous post. 😉
Thanks for the information Nicole.
I really want to recommend that you check out
oneseed.com.au
Craig is a young adult from Citylife – his dedication, creativity and hard work in bringing relief to those trapped in poverty is inspirational!
I don’t like fashion trends – but if there’s one trend I would love to see is people purchasing bags, jewellery and gifts from places like One Seed – it makes such a difference.
Big stupid grins? Hmmmm … no, lots of small smart grins from me 🙂
None can say that Mark is a dumkoff! His smart small grins are strategic with purpose that shows he is friendly 🙂 Vee all haff our vays!
I’ve been working in WA for the last 5 months (and still have about 7 more to go!)…. I can’t believe this is my only interaction with my pastors! I miss CityLife!
😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀
Oh I’m addicted to OneSeed. Ever since I purchased my first bag at the Dare Women’s Conference. Their stuff is great!