This week’s obscure English word is nudiustertian. It’s an obsolete term meaning ‘two days ago’. I’m not sure why it’s become obsolete – it seems pretty useful to me. You know. Q: ‘When did you make this sandwich?’, A: ‘Nudiustertian’, or Q: ‘How long have we been waiting for the bus?’, A: ‘Since nudiustertian.’ Your … More The obscure word of the week is nudiustertian

This week’s obscure English word is –notus. It’s actually only a part word – a combined noun derived from the Greek notos, which has to be added to another word to have meaning. It’s often used in paleontology to describe a specific kind of back bone. One example is Tribolonotus Novae-Guineae, which is a small … More The obscure word of the week is -notus

This week’s obscure English word is fornent. It’s from Middle English and means ‘near to’ or ‘close by’. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

This week’s obscure English word is moider. It’s an old word of obscure origin, sometimes spelt moither, that means to throw into disarray; to distract; or to walk aimlessly. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

This week’s obscure English word is gallopade. It’s sometimes also spelt galopade, and is from the original French. It means ‘the act of galloping’. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

This week’s obscure English word is experient. It’s a noun and refers to someone who is having an experience, just as ‘incumbent’ is used to mean somebody who occupies a position. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

This week’s obscure English word is hornist. It typically refers to somebody who performs on the French Horn. One of the better-known pieces featuring the French Horn was, of course, Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat, K 495. This is in two movements, an Allegro and a Rondo. And here’s the Rondo, as … More The obscure word of the week is hornist

This week’s obscure English word is gelid. It means extremely cold, as in frosty or icy, and derives from the original Latin gelidus. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

This week’s obscure English word is kneebrush. It refers to the tuft of fur found on the knees of antelopes, among other animals. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2021

There’s a new usage emerged of late in everyday English which I find a little annoying. It’s come up in the last year or so and involves substituting ‘the’ for ‘a’ or ‘an’ in an intensifer comparison. You know: ‘this person is quite an expert’, which these days has become ‘this person is quite the … More English phrases that are quite an annoyance