This week’s obscure English word is peristeronic. It means something relating to pigeons. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is doryphore. It’s a word coined in the mid-twentieth century by Sir Harold Nicholson, and means a critic who is both pedantic and persistent. I’ve attracted a few of those over the years, courtesy of my writing, not that any of them have had the guts to actually introduce themselves … More The obscure word of the week is doryphore

This week’s obscure English word is bardolatry. It means to like Shakespeare excessively. Really. I mean, sure, every high school kid was tortured by those stupid sonnets which were first made boring by the English teacher, then rammed at them for over-analysis. But apparently there are some people who get quite enthusiastic about the Immortal … More The obscure word of the week is bardolatry

This week’s obscure English word is concinnity. It’s a mass noun originating from the sixteenth century that means to harmoniously fit different parts of something together. A secondary meaning is to have an elegant literary style. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments that displays literary concinnity. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is adscititious. It means addition, and is thought to have emerged in the 17th century, derived from Latin. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is edacious. It basically means liking to eat. I found a YouTube channel that seems to be of this nature: Your challenge: make up a sentence using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is barmecide. It is an eighteenth century term derived from the name of a character in the Arabian Nights stories, meaning something imaginary and disappointing. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is dight. It’s a verb that derives from Middle English and which has several meanings. In a literary sense it means to prepare something for its purpose. However, it also has a couple of dialectical meanings: in Scotland it means to wipe something dry, and it can also mean to … More The obscure word of the week is dight

This week’s obscure English word is decubitus. It’s a 19th century word deriving from Latin, typically used these days as a medical term, and means ‘lying down’. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright © Matthew Wright 2022

This week’s obscure English word is ucalegon. It means a neighbour whose house has burned down or is on fire. The word is an eponym from ancient Greek, and refers to Ucalegon, an inhabitant of Troy whose house suffered this fate. Your challenge: write a sentence or two in the comments using this word. Copyright … More The obscure word of the week is ucalegon