Hello,

If you enjoy word puzzles (some of which we explored in our last post), the chances are that you enjoy Scrabble, too. In the event that’s true, we have a book recommendation today which could help raise your game! A recent find in a second-hand bookshop, it’s called A Word for Every Day of the Year, by Stephen Poole.

It’s described by the publishers as ” a fascinating collection of 366 words and their definitions, perfect for anyone who loves the richness of the English Language, its diversity and wants to expand their vocabularly.”  Each day’s entry is cleverly linked to the date on which it appears and, as well as giving the meaning, the evolution and usage of the word is explored.

Most of the words have fallen out of use and may well be new to you – here is a small selection of some favourites:

Perfect for scrabble:

Yex – to hiccup

Quop – to wriggle, throb or pulsate e.g. ‘how my heart quops’

Roily – muddy or cloudy, from the verb to roil or ‘stir up water’

Words it would be fun to revive:

Bibliobibuli – people who read too much

Bed presser – someone lazy

Evanid – something fleeting or transient e.g cherry blossom

Yesterneve – yesterday evening

Overmorrow – the day after tomorrow

If you’re starting to think about gifts and have a Scrabble or word games fan on your list, A word for every day of the year would make a great stocking filler.

Stay safe and well and we look forward to seeing you here on the blog next time.

Claire and Sam