An unusual way of describing something worthless
“Floccinaucinihilipilification” became the longest word ever used in the House of Commons when Jacob Rees-Mogg used it in a debate on the remuneration of EU staff in 2012. It is of Latin origin and was apparently coined by pupils at Eton after they combined a number of roughly synonymous Latin stems.
Our Word of the Week brings together “flocci” (a wisp), “nauci” (a trifle), “nihili” (nothing), “pili” (a hair) and “fication” (the process of becoming) to define something unimportant or having no value. It could certainly be used to describe the relevance of the Liberal Democrats post the 2015 General Election and equally sums up the importance of Katie Hopkins’ views on any subject. Floccinaucinihilipilification is a truly fabulous word and one all readers should find an occasion to use.
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Word of the Week – Brexiting
‘Brexiting’ has finally been defined (and no it’s not just about the relationship between Britain and the European Union) In a post shared recently on his Instagram feed, actor Jake Silbermann provided what could be the most useful definition of ‘Brexiting.’ It read as follows: BREXITING (verb) /brekziting/ Meaning: Telling everyone at […]
Word of the Week: Panjandrum
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Readers have their say
10 comments
I know just the person who will thrill to this word
Although he is doing jolly well; Jacob has a long way to go to catch up with his papa the late Lord Rees – Mogg of Hinton Blewett……..Clifton Prep, Charterhouse and Baliol
His father famously ‘ parodied ‘ – if that’s the correct word – Pope’s 1745 prose in his famous 1967 Times article
‘ Who would break a butterfly on a wheel ‘, that questioned the severity of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard’s jail sentence
The Rees – Mogg family are ‘ Top Dogs ‘ in the Bath, Wells, Bristol triangle, where young master Jacob is the popular and highly respected M.P.
Jacob always attends the Annual Priston Fair, which is run by my youngest brother Dr Owain Jones – the popular and highly thought of Geographer
Years ago I coined a word applying to a set of Antiquarian printed volumes where the labels are erroneous; all the volumes are present but in the wrong order…….the word is Juxtapixie…….do you like it?
Well said Martin. I second that. Jacob Rees-Mogg is bonkers but he adds colour to an otherwise grey world.
The Mogg family are just soooo pretentious. As a Somerset born fellow I can tell you that until the Mogg family got their hands on some Radstock coal mines they were very lowly fellows. In fact, some say that the Mogg family were of diddycoy stock(West Country for gyppo’s)
Why is he fiddling with his cufflink? So affected
Pretentious moi – pretentious toi?
Well Peter; you certainly tell it like it is!
Peasdown St John and Radstock were certainly ‘ rough old places ‘ and don’t have a fragrant reputation
The Rees – Moggs certainly have climbed the slippery pole without sliding back down again……..
That cuff link trick has probably been aped from Prince Charles, who has good south facing ‘ Duchy land ‘ in Jacob’s constituency north west of Priston…..
From what Arial do you hail Peter?
Well Martin I do like to expose those who gives themselves aristocratic airs. And I seem to remember that Jacob used to use an Hon…well, to my mind it’s frightfully bad form for the child of some life peer to do so: in fact, I woud abolish life peers….frightful people in the main.
I am a West Somerset man. You are right, Martin…rough places.
Interestingly, the Mogg’s are no worse than many of the posing familles in this part of Somerset whose Palladium mansions were bought off the profits of the Bristol slave trade.
I know Helena Rees-Mogg (Jacobs wife) and she is nothing but down to earth, lovely and a joy to be with, no pretention there whatsoever, on the few times I have met her husband he is lovely, if not a little English bonkers just like the rest of us! Peter, are you a little jealous? How many well to do families have bought themselves mansions off the profits of the poor, it still goes on today! I am sure you wouldn’t complain where it came from if you could buy yourself a ‘palladium mansion’?!
So we pay Rees-Mogg over £120k a year( with expenses) to represent us even though he is bonkers?
No wonder the country is in a state. As for pretension…using a courtesy title when just the son of a life peer is just that: pretentious.
As a matter of fact, I would certainly feel embarrassed if my Palladian mansion was built on the brutal treatment of slaves…as was Richard Dawkins’s fortune
120k a year is quite a good deal given everything the ‘Honorable Rees-Mogg’ does for his local community, the Royals get millions a year plus their homes decorated for the odd fleeting appearance every now and then so I think our conservative MP’s are worth the odd 120k here and there! Dear, dear don’t you realise that every wealthy individual/family has somehow generated income from the less fortunate, it happened then and it happens now and will always carry on doing so. Peter have a G&T, I hear they work wonders.
Friends of mine….the children of ancient aristicratic dynasties, would never dream of using their titles.
The only ones who ever do are the children of life peers….and I don’t class them as friends. They are those very common people who talk about ‘having a G&T…sorry, but so very Surrey!