Roger's Profanisaurus is a spin-off publication from the popular British adult comic Viz. It features one of the comic's characters, Roger Mellie, and is marketed as 'the foulest-mouthed book ever to stalk the face of the earth.' The book collects and categorizes swear words, innuendos, and rude phrases, often with humorous and politically incorrect observations. Contributions from readers have been included and edited into various editions, which have expanded over the years to include thousands of definitions[2][4].
Guilty By Definition follows Martha Thornhill, the new senior editor at the Clarendon English Dictionary, as she returns to her hometown after a decade abroad. An anonymous letter arrives, hinting at secrets and lies related to the year her brilliant and beautiful older sister Charlie went missing. As Martha and her colleagues delve into the clues, they uncover a series of secret absences going back centuries. The book is a nuanced exploration of grief, guilt, and the emotional aftershocks of Charlie's disappearance, set against the backdrop of a intriguing mystery and the city of Oxford.
Published in 1621 and expanded in several subsequent editions, 'The Anatomy of Melancholy' is a multifaceted work that explores melancholy through various lenses, including medicine, philosophy, and literature. The book is divided into three main sections: the first examines the definitions, symptoms, and causes of melancholy; the second discusses its cures; and the third explores specific types of melancholy, such as love melancholy and religious melancholy. Burton's work is notable for its use of classical allusions, Latin tags, and a sprawling, colloquial style that makes it both a medical textbook and a literary masterpiece.
The genius of Countdown’s dictionary corner Susie Dent is the master of the English language. Lexicographer and etymologist by training, she has spent 30 years on our screens explaining the history and origin of words on one of the world’s longest-running game shows, Channel 4’s Countdown.
In November 2024 Dent came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss her life-long love affair with the English language and how it has culminated in her debut crime novel Guilt by Definition — a glorious celebration of the English dictionary. As all good crime novels begin, it unfolds around a mysterious disappearance. And the protagonist, Martha Thornhill, Senior Editor of the Clarendon English Dictionary, uses words, and their peculiarly precise meanings, as clues in her quest to find out what really happened.
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