BRIDGET WHELAN writer

for writers and readers….

Do you know the word for an irrational fear of long words?

blue hippoCould have guessed it really. It just has to be hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

photo credit: mattscoggin via photopin cc

2 comments on “Do you know the word for an irrational fear of long words?”

  1. Jan Carr
    June 5, 2013
    Jan Carr's avatar

    For a project finding out the strategies adults used to spell unfamiliar words, I had hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian which is to do with the fear of very long words though that’s from memory, haven’t googled yet. I also had floccinaucinihilipilification which is the act of estimating something as worthless. Neither of those words are as much of a challenge to spell as ‘guard’ and ‘guardian’ both of which, as I typed trying to remember which way round the u and the a go, I got wrong!

    Reply
  2. bridget whelan
    June 5, 2013
    bridget whelan's avatar

    I am deeply impressed.
    Looked it up and discovered that Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative Somerset MP) made the record books when he used it in the House of Commons in 2012 and it is now the longest word in Hansard. You can hear him saying it (more than once) at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17156658
    Wikidictionary says it was originally made up by Eton schoolboys…

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Information

This entry was posted on June 5, 2013 by in Did you know... and tagged .

Shortlink

https://wp.me/p2EeQv-Vz

Navigation

Over 125 reviews & 280 ratings on Amazon

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,219 other subscribers

A Good Confession

A moving, humorous and subtle book THE IRISH WORLD

"Unputdownable" Miriam Stoppard

blogl

Archives

PLEASE RESPECT MY COPYRIGHT

© Bridget Whelan
If you want to use any of this material contact me and there is a very good chance I will say YES.
However, if you just cut and paste into your own blog or whatever and pass it off as your own then there's a very good chance I will find out. Don't fall into the trap of thinking the internet is so vast and expanding so fast (note the fancy internal rhyme)] that no one will know.