Simply 9 times Countdown’s Susie Dent threw perfect shade on Twitter

John Plunkett. Updated July 7th, 2020

Susie Dent from Countdown’s Dictionary Corner has a way of going viral with the various words of the day she shares on Twitter.

Most, if not all of them are shared without comment, and we can of course never say for sure what she was thinking of when she tweeted them.

But we reckon we’ve got a pretty good idea with most of them though. Like this one, for instance.

smellfungus (18th century): a grumbler, faultfinder, or one who likes to shift the blame for their own mistakes onto someone else.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) July 7, 2020

Here are 9 other times she threw perfect shade on Twitter.

Word of the day is ‘bloviator’ (19th century): a speaker of empty rhetoric and blower of hot air; someone who talks a lot but says very little.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 29, 2020

Aristocracy, before embracing the elite, first meant government by the best of citizens (from the Greek ‘aristos’, ‘best’). Government by the worst people, on the other hand, is kakistocracy.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) June 1, 2020

It’s that time again. A mumpsimus (16th century) is someone who refuses to budge/insists that they are right, despite clear evidence that they are wrong. Plural: mumpsimuses.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 25, 2020

Word of the day is 'bayard' (1600s): someone with an unshakeable self-confidence that is rooted in ignorance.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) October 18, 2019

‘Ipsedixitism’ is the dogmatic assertion that something is true because someone, somewhere said it, and without offering any supporting evidence whatsoever. (From the Latin for ‘he said it’).

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 1, 2020

It seems like another epithet is needed for today. Sorry if you've heard it from me before, but sometimes it's worth repeating.

Snollygoster (1800s): an unprincipled, shameless representative, governed entirely by self-interest.#NotInMyName

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) July 2, 2019

My word of the day is ‘quockerwodger’: a 19th century wooden toy puppet whose limbs jerk about at the whim of the puppet master. It soon became used for a politician whose strings are pulled entirely by someone else.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) July 17, 2018

While Toilet Duck and Dettol are trending, here's a reminder of the word 'ultracrepidarian': one who consistently offers opinions and advice on subjects way beyond their understanding.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) April 24, 2020

Only occasionally does she leave you in absolutely no doubt.

Cockalorum (18th century): a strutting, self-important individual. (There’s also pavonise: to preen like a peacock). https://t.co/zSkHQYFmHi

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) March 30, 2020

And this little lot weren’t throwing shade, they were just funny or entirely relatable (and sometimes both).

Word of the morning is ‘forwallowed’ (15th century): wearied from tossing and turning all night.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) April 28, 2020

Two words for anyone feeling ramfeezled (overcome with fatigue) this morning:
testudineous: at the pace of a tortoise.
limaceous: in the manner of a slug.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 15, 2020

This is your regular reminder that ‘crambazzled’ is old Yorkshire dialect for ‘prematurely aged from excess drinking’.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) May 4, 2020

A reminder that to 'quiddle' (1700s) is to busy oneself with entirely trivial things, as a way of avoiding the important ones.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) April 14, 2020

Given that 'scurryfunging' is running about the house in an effort to tidy up before visitors arrive, I'm wondering what the lockdown equivalent is: slowly clearing up with no visitors in sight. Dawdlefunging?

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) April 5, 2020

Word of the day should you need it is ‘apanthropy’: a love of solitude and a desire to be away from other people.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) December 23, 2018

Let's never forget the 18th century Scottish term 'hurkle-durkling': lounging in bed long after it's time to get up.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) February 21, 2019

This is the obscure, tongue-tricky discovery of my day, noted because it really fills a gap:

'cacoethes' [kak-o-ee-thees] is the desperate urge to do something very inadvisable.

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) June 11, 2020

'Uhtceare' was an Anglo-Saxon expression for the 'sorrow before dawn', when you lie awake in the darkness and worry about the day ahead [uht-kay-ara; the 'h' is as in 'loch'].

— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) June 11, 2020

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Source @susie_dent