Susie Dent
Podcast Host at Something Rhymes with Purple Podcast
Journalist at Freelance
That woman in Dictionary Corner. @susiedent.bsky.social
Articles
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1 week ago |
telegraph.co.uk | Susie Dent
Similarly, it seems most people feel on "tenderhooks" these days, rather than "tenterhooks". The latter were once a common feature in cloth-manufacturing districts, for they were wooden frames erected in rows in the open air on "tenter-fields". Wet cloth would be hooked onto them to be stretched after milling, allowing it dry evenly without shrinkage. Metaphorically, to be on tenterhooks is to be as taut, tense, and in suspense as the wool itself.
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2 weeks ago |
saga.co.uk | Susie Dent
Bugbears: we all have them. Though happily not the original kind, which were hobgoblin-like creatures said to terrorise naughty children. The linguistic variety tends to be much gentler, in theory at least. Some of us still positively snarl when we hear such offences as ‘pacifically’, while others’ hackles may rise at such requests as ‘can I get a cappuccino?’ Wouldn’t it be easier, you might think, if things just stayed the same?
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1 month ago |
saga.co.uk | Susie Dent
Sometimes it’s easy to believe that we have become a nation of potty mouths. Swearing is freely available on TV, in the cinema, and on almost any UK high street. Which means it’s tempting to assume that we are turning the air blue like never before, and that almost any profanity, no matter how taboo, can be liberally sprinkled into conversation as readily as fillers such as ‘like’ or ‘basically’. History offers a bit more perspective.
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2 months ago |
saga.co.uk | Susie Dent
A few years ago in the Countdown studio, I decided to embrace the silliness of April Fool’s Day and deliver an origin of words that was entirely made up. t involved the history of the phrase ‘the grass is greener on the other side’, for which I invented two squabbling farmers who were in intense competition over the verdancy of their land. I went into a fair bit of detail about their agricultural fisticuffs, but my tongue stayed firmly in my cheek throughout.
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Feb 28, 2025 |
saga.co.uk | Susie Dent
Whenever I scan a menu, I could sometimes do without descriptions such as "artisanal organic signature sourdough, toasted to a golden hue and suffused with salt-encrusted butter". Nor do I particularly need 'perfectly al dente pasta enveloped in a velvety bechamel sauce from a blend of barrel-aged cheeses and finished with a layer of hand-rubbed breadcrumbs'. Really, I’d much rather have toast and butter or mac and cheese and get straight to the point.
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Despite the mischievous headlines I didn’t say this was now standard English. Rather that ‘mischeevious’ (which used to bug me no end) is an example of how, for centuries, English-speakers have often moved the sound of words to something more familiar. https://t.co/X2vbisnR1y
All dedications welcome!
BOOK NEWS! Susie Dent @susie_dent has a new book coming out in September. "Words for Life". A year's supply of verbal vitamin shots guaranteed to entertain & enlighten! And Susie will be doing SIGNED & DEDICATED copies exclusively for us! Order HERE. https://t.co/lIa60aFb7H https://t.co/vuoH3CylbW
I’m delighted to be in such stellar company. Thank you @Soc_of_Authors!
‘Incantatory, spell-binding and resonant’ – announcing the 2025 Society of Authors’ Awards shortlists The seven shortlists celebrate prose, poetry and children’s literature, ahead of the winners’ announcement on 18 June /cont https://t.co/pn7KV6Kp8P
