“I didn’t go, not after what he said” is an example of RESUMPTIVE NEGATION—the use of one negative statement immediately after another to emphasise the negation of the whole. The second clause here could just be “after what he said”, but the extra ‘not’ works to reinforce the first.

Word of the Day: FATILOQUY (n.) speaking of the future

A COCK-OF-THE-COMPANY is a man who associates with unpleasant people just so he can act as their leader. (A Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811)

Etymologically, the word FANCY is just a contraction of the older word FANTASY. The two had developed their separate meanings by the late 1500s, and have remained distinct words ever since.

Coined in the late 1990s, CYBERPESSIMISM is the belief that the internet has, or will eventually have, a more negative influence on human society than a positive one.

Word of the Day: FAUXSTALGIA (n.) nostalgia for something that never existed, or an experience one never actually had [21stC]

❄️ So... Let’s kick things off here with an advent calendar of entries from the latest Haggard Hawks book, A WINTER DICTIONARY—a collection of obscure words for the festive season 👉 amazon.co.uk/Winter-Dicti... 🧵 We’ll be sharing a new word every day throughout December!

❄️ So... Let’s kick things off here with an advent calendar of entries from the latest Haggard Hawks book, A WINTER DICTIONARY—a collection of obscure words for the festive season 👉 amazon.co.uk/Winter-Dicti... 🧵 We’ll be sharing a new word every day throughout December!

A HOUSE-HANDSEL is a gift given to someone when they move into a new home.