SOME WORD TROUBLE

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 77, 28 September 1938, Page 22

SOME WORD TROUBLE

Lieutenant-Colonel Le Mesurier, tne present editor of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, says that recent experiences of his cause him not to be surprised at Sir Stafford Cripps's ignorance of "factitious," comments the "Daily Telegraph and Morning Post." The editor of the 'Concise Oxford Die- J tionary says that he recently compiled' a book-marker to go with each copy of the new impression of the dictionary. He sent this to quite a number) of well-educated people, asking them J how many of the 102 words printed on,it they could define. Adiabatic, after-care, audile, authoritarian, babbittry, ballyhoo, blotto, bohunk, buckshee, Comstockery, debunk, gel, goofy, jim-jams, potty, racketeer, swish, Wafd, whoopee, wonky. The correct answers varied from 41 to 68, at the top of the list being a girl university student in Maine, U.S.A. After such results from such people Colonel Le Mesurier grim,ly declares that he can believe anything from a cross-section of ParliaIment i