Logophilia!

What makes a good Christmas Present? - I think one quality of such a gift is that the recipient is still enjoying it much later in the year.

One such item Bob and I received which continues to give great pleasure is our "Forgotten English" Calendar, which gives us a new and obscure word every day.

Some of the words we have encountered thus far we knew already.

But many of them are new to us - they are fascinating and it is a shame they have fallen into disuse. Beneath each definition is a short passage relating to the word, giving an example of its use.

sermocination - the art or practice of making speeches. That was listed in Samuel Johnson's dictionary in 1755.

[this is linked to Hercules Clay of Newark, Nottinghamshire who paid for an Annual Parish Sermon back in 1643 - which continues to be delivered - see here]

metromania - a species of insanity in which the patient evinces a rage for reciting poetry. Rev John Boag's Dictionary of 1850.

Oh dear, I suspect Bob and I may both suffer from this one! We are both prone to declaiming odd odes and snatches of verse at times.

gelastic - pertaining to laughter, inclined to laugh. Nathaniel Bailey's Etymological Dictionary, 1736.

Well, I confess to being inclined to laugh earlier this week. Halfway through the communion service in the Care Home, the lady next to me suddenly removed the wafer from her mouth, put it on the chair, and said loudly  "Oh no, that's not my cup of tea at all!" I was trying hard to be quiet and reverent, but it was hard not to smile.

I have just discovered that Logophilia [love of words] is also the name of a company producing posters - including all these based on the "Keep Calm and Carry On" theme. [check here]

I think I rather like "Do Good Like Jesus Would"

Which do you like?