Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely – Book Review

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Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely: 3500 Most Beautiful English Vocabulary Words

by Robin Devoe

I've been trying to supercharge my vocabulary by consuming books on this subject. The year 2024 concluded with me finishing up Big & Fancy Words That Might Make You Smarter...er by Albert B. Squid, which presents one big and fancy word (as the title says) for every day of the year. In the middle of this year, I wrapped up my reading of the lexically luminiferous resource The Lexicologist's Handbook by Dane Cobain. Now here I am reviewing Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely by Robin Devoe, which, in a sense, is the ne plus ultra of all such I've read to date.

Why so? Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely by Robin Devoe lists English words that you would most likely not encounter in everyday life. Here is a selection of random expressions from the book: amaranthine, limerence, oneiric, catachthonian, mansuetude, quiddity, gourmandism, esprit d'escalier, plumigerous, hesternal, zeitgeist, redivivus, encincture, devenustate, and spizzerinctum. On the whole, the definitions are easy to understand, and I like the fact that the author also provides information about etymology, parts of speech, synonyms & antonyms, rarity, obsoleteness, etc., although this doesn't apply to every entry. A tiny number of entries show how to pronounce the words – I kind of wish each and every one had such information; natheless, I realize that it would probably be too massive an undertaking. Hence, I had to use other resources, such as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), to grok this aspect of the vocabulary.

All of these notwithstanding, I have encountered a number of inaccuracies, without which the dictionary would be more outstanding. Here are several examples:

• In the entry for "nanization", "bonzai" should be "bonsai" – a mistake probably caused by the similarity between "bonsai" and "banzai" (another word of Japanese origin). (p. 86)
• As the definition is that of a verb, the word "scintillant" (adjective) should be "scintillate". (p. 118)
• In the entry for "spiracle", "anthropods" should be "arthropods". (p. 125)

All in all, Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely by Robin Devoe is an absolutely frabjous English resource! I am sempiternally grateful for its existence and wholeheartedly recommend this dictionary to any logophile, poet, or one who wants to delve deep into the English lexicon.

Have you read Dictionary of the Strange, Curious & Lovely? What would you say about this book? Share your opinion in the comment section below!

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Quote #125

"There are two kinds of people in this world: those who die doing what they love and those who don't." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Quote #124

"The very essence of existence is going forward." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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Monster Rancher 2 DX: Favorite Monster Breeds Poll

What is your favorite monster breed in Monster Rancher 2 DX? The uber-powerful Golem? 🗿🪨 The pretty but lethal Pixie? 🧚🏻‍♀️ The extraordinarily smart Suezo? 👁️ Take the poll and find out which monster breeds are the most popular! 😄✨

Poll link: https://forms.gle/bA5E1ZDBVBXh4jq89

Here are the poll results (automatically updated):

Links:

• Pie chart poll results
• Bar chart poll results
• Poll data (Web page)
• Poll data (Google Sheets)

Credit to MonsterFenrick for giving me the idea of using Google Forms for this poll. 😊

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The Jay Chou Poem

The magical counter-clockwise clock transports me back to the past

I gaze with wonderment at the King of Mandopop being born with a grand piano, his nimble fingers dancing on its black and white keys

The coruscant golden armor

The circumambient enchanting melody

The eight dimensions are so enthralling that I find it hard to speak

Every moment is always the era

No matter how split I am

You are always the train's destination

The incomparable virtuosity and feat

I ride all the way north to rejoice in the sheer music-cum-magic spectacle

Your fantasy is olamic

How could one resist the canorous beauty of Opus 12?

All you create are undoubtedly the greatest works of art

From old Shanghai to modern Istanbul, from the Coral Sea to the 'Pink Ocean'

Any biont is obliged to step aside in your territory

The bucolic view of rice and terrace fields on a sunny day

Hearkens back to class 3-2, where I excitedly savor Grandpa's tea and Turkish ice cream

Then I am reminded of how sweet your smile is

Of how I do not care whether or not it is the end of the world

Making a love confession has never been this easy

The hair-raising atmosphere of William Castle

Does not deter the fearless dragon rider

Dashing through the formidable tornado as fast as the four seasons train

With a pair of steel nunchucks on his back and a razor-sharp double blade at his side

Hero Chou proves not to be a coward in the slightest, slaying half-beast humans without a step back

Silence

The time machine has obviously come to a halt

Soon afterwards I can hear the rhythm of the rain and the occasional drop of maple leaves

Is it time for a lulling bedtime story?

I flip my romantic handphone open and read the ataraxic handwritten past in my diary of love

In Chapter Seven, I fall abysmally into a dream

Thereupon, I find myself under a fun fair rainbow, thanking Yeh Hui Mei profusely in one breath

No sooner has it concluded than Jay utters from far away, "Long time no see!"

I say I won't cry but tears of scattered emotion instantly stream down my face

Please do not say goodbye, but give me the time of one song, and I will turn it into the longest movie

---

This poem contains 62 references to Jay Chou's songs and 10 references to his albums. Below is the version with links to the corresponding songs and albums on Jay Chou's official YouTube channel. In the cases where a song reference coincides with an album reference, the link to the song, instead of to the album, is used.

The magical counter-clockwise clock transports me back to the past

I gaze with wonderment at the King of Mandopop being born with a grand piano, his nimble fingers dancing on its black and white keys

The coruscant golden armor

The circumambient enchanting melody

The eight dimensions are so enthralling that I find it hard to speak

Every moment is always the era

No matter how split I am

You are always the train's destination

The incomparable virtuosity and feat

I ride all the way north to rejoice in the sheer music-cum-magic spectacle

Your fantasy is olamic

How could one resist the canorous beauty of Opus 12?

All you create are undoubtedly the greatest works of art

From old Shanghai to modern Istanbul, from the Coral Sea to the 'Pink Ocean'

Any biont is obliged to step aside in your territory

The bucolic view of rice and terrace fields on a sunny day

Hearkens back to class 3-2, where I excitedly savor Grandpa's tea and Turkish ice cream

Then I am reminded of how sweet your smile is

Of how I do not care whether or not it is the end of the world

Making a love confession has never been this easy

The hair-raising atmosphere of William Castle

Does not deter the fearless dragon rider

Dashing through the formidable tornado as fast as the four seasons train

With a pair of steel nunchucks on his back and a razor-sharp double blade at his side

Hero Chou proves not to be a coward in the slightest, slaying half-beast humans without a step back

Silence

The time machine has obviously come to a halt

Soon afterwards I can hear the rhythm of the rain and the occasional drop of maple leaves

Is it time for a lulling bedtime story?

I flip my romantic handphone open and read the ataraxic handwritten past in my diary of love

In Chapter Seven, I fall abysmally into a dream

Thereupon, I find myself under a fun fair rainbow, thanking Yeh Hui Mei profusely in one breath

No sooner has it concluded than Jay utters from far away, "Long time no see!"

I say I won't cry but tears of scattered emotion instantly stream down my face

Please do not say goodbye, but give me the time of one song, and I will turn it into the longest movie

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Me: Then and Now

Perhaps to most people the phrase "time flies" feels more and more true with age. Here I am in 2025, a quarter of the 21st century having flown by unthinkably powerful AI tools such as ChatGPT being household names all across the world such that "digital gods" might be an apt name for them. I was born on the pale blue dot in 1990, which means 35 years has passed since my accouchement and I have, more or less, another 35 years of having the privilege of residing on this Brobdingnagian life-supporting rock. (Or is it? We'll see.) Everything evolves, and so do I. Looking back to my much younger self, I can see quite a significant difference between him and my present self.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

The most striking change I have experienced has to do with my holistic view on life. I grew up becoming a religious bigot who harbored bitter hatred for those not adhering to my deeply held belief. That period of my life was indeed grueling years, filled with continual unsatisfaction and intense stress which rendered me alamort. I could not become my real self and had to suppress the naturality inside me, which would otherwise have entered its anthesis in that timeframe. As odious as this psychological and behavioral phenomenon may seem, I am confident that I have figured out how it managed to grip my being, and others' for that matter, so firmly. The infectious ideological bigotry in human mind could be easily explained by our desire to extinguish fear in the simplest way possible. The problem is what is simple is not necessarily good, and what is simplest is not necessarily best. Science has enabled me to unmask this false thinking. It goes without saying that, as a dinosaur maniac, paleontology is the science that has played a vital role in decimating the pernicious mental illness.

I could almost laugh when thinking about the naivety exhibited by my past self. In my mind, life was destined to be a bed of roses. Justice would eventually prevail, everyone would inevitably reach happiness if they really wanted to, and so on and so forth. As dreamy as this thinking may appear, so far as I can tell, it is not in line with reality. If you are born in a war-torn country, the odds are your well-being will not be as good as those who aren't. Where your parturition takes place is aleatory – it is not something you can choose. You could win the lottery today and go into a coma the next day because some inebriated guy's car ploughs into your unfortunate body. There is just an unending list of things that are outside our control. This is where Stoicism comes into play. This ancient school of philosophy seems to have been gaining traction in recent years, and its popularity is a testament to its efficacy and practicality. While terrible things do happen, we can still (and have to) make the most of it. Focusing only on things within your control and loving the fate handed to you (amor fati) are two examples of Stoic practices and I find them incredibly potent and fulfilling.

"Purpose inherently exists in every human being." This is another thing in my mindset that has become obsolete. From a cosmic point of view, we have no purpose in this world. This may sound overly depressing and can leave us disoriented, but it can be liberating and uplifting instead. Although the universe did not impart purpose to us, we can create our own. Meaning is something that we ourselves determine and not something automatically dealt to us. Here is a profound quote from the extraordinary thinker Osho Rajneesh:

"People wonder why there seems to be no meaning in life. Meaning does not exist a priori. There is no meaning existing in life; one has to create it. Only if you create it will you discover it. It has to be invented first. It is not lying there like a rock, it has to be created like a song. It is not a thing, it is a significance that you bring through your consciousness." - The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

Related to this is my realization of the vague distinction between good and bad. Dwelling in absolutism will not bear real fruit and only result in desperation. Which is better, being an employee or an entrepreneur? Is working as a doctor better than as an accountant? Should you get married or stay single? No one can say that one is absolutely good and the other is absolutely bad. I completely agree with Osho on this matter and I'd like to end this article with another eye-opening quote from the Indian guru:

"People have remained concerned about their acts: Which act is right and which act is wrong? What is good and what is evil? My own understanding is that it is not a question of any particular act. The question is about your psychology.

"When you are total, it is good; and when you are divided, it is evil. Divided you suffer; united, you dance, you sing, you celebrate." - The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

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The Lexicologist's Handbook – Book Review

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The Lexicologist's Handbook: A Dictionary of Unusual Words

by Dane Cobain

I have been fascinated by English for eons. The joy of learning and exploring this language is immense, so much so that I ended up becoming an EFL teacher in my country, Indonesia. Although grammar is the aspect that got me hooked in the first place and played a primary role in setting my life trajectory, the beauty and richness of the English vocabulary is unlimited food for my insatiable linguistic appetite. The Lexicologist's Handbook by Dane Cobain is such a terrific resource for this never-ending adventure.

This book is basically a dictionary – but not a usual one. It is jam-packed with unusual, rare, fancy, or otherwise cool English words that will imbue readers with lexical superpower. In each entry, there is information on the word's pronunciation, type(s), definition(s), and example sentence(s), which enables you to understand the word thoroughly and primes you to use it in real-life situations, impressing your fellow humans linguistically.

Howbeit, considering The Lexicologist's Handbook is aimed at learners of English and educational in nature, I wish the accuracy of the content were higher. I have encountered a number of mistakes, one of which is "Amphitheatre" being misspelled as "Ampitheatre". On top of that, the pronunciation feature could be enhanced by adding information on stress position.

On the whole, The Lexicologist's Handbook by Dane Cobain is a spectacular addition to English literature. If you are bored of using ordinary expressions or looking to diversify your vocabulary, I highly recommend reading this tremendous lexical booster!

Have you read The Lexicologist's Handbook? Do you agree with my opinion? Share what you think in the comment section below!

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