Polish (naturalized-French) physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, is the only woman to win the Nobel prize twice, and is the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields.
A Dutch businessman and scientist. Largely self-taught in science, he is commonly known as “the Father of Microbiology”, and one of the first microscopists and microbiologists.
Theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics).
English physician who made seminal contributions in anatomy and physiology. He was the first known physician to describe completely, and in detail, the circulatory system and properties of blood being pumped to the brain and body by the heart.
Each month this year we’re bringing you a post under the general title “Things that Count in [Number]” where [Number] will be the month. And naturally each month’s post will contain the [Number] of items (so just one for January, up to 12 for December).
For our purposes the definition of counting includes things which either come in groups of [Number] (eg. four suits in a pack of playing cards) or things which count in [Number] (eg. decimal coinage counting in tens).
Things which Count in Twelve …
Episode six (for days 26 to 30) of my 100 day challenge to find words I don’t know. I’m scraping words from https://randomword.com/ and each day picking one that I find interesting and which is also in the OED.
| Day | Date | Word | Meaning |
| 26 | Tuesday26 November | florisugent | Sucking honey from flowers |
| 27 | Wednesday 27 November | prasinous ** | A leek-green colour |
| 28 | Thursday 28 November | stocious | Drunk; intoxicated |
| 29 | Friday 29 November | morosophy | The foolish pretence of wisdom |
| 30 | Saturday 30 November | inaniloquent | Prone to foolish or empty babbling |
** My favourite of the words presented.
Next episode in a few days!
Possibly the most accomplished of all medical researchers of antiquity, Galen influenced the development of various scientific disciplines, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology, as well as philosophy and logic.
Episode five (for days 16 to 20) of my 100 day challenge to find words I don’t know. I’m scraping words from https://randomword.com/ and each day picking one that I find interesting and which is also in the OED.
| Day | Date | Word | Meaning |
| 21 | Thursday 21 November | pigsconce | A foolish or pigheaded person; blockhead |
| 22 | Friday 22 November | cabasset | A light iron helmet |
| 23 | Saturday 23 November | tephra | Dust and rock fragments that have been ejected into the air by a volcanic eruption |
| 24 | Sunday 24 November | novena | A devotion consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days |
| 25 | Monday 25 November | chiru ** | Tibetan antelope with a thick, reddish-brown woolly coat, and (in the male) very long straight horns |
** My favourite of the words presented.
Next episode in a few days!
It’s a long time (like 4 years!!!) since we had an entry in Buggered Britain – my occasional series documenting some of the underbelly of Britain. Britain which we wouldn’t like visitors to see and which we wish wasn’t there. The trash, abused, decaying, destitute and otherwise buggered parts of our environment. Those parts which symbolise the current economic malaise; parts which, were the country flourishing, wouldn’t be there, would be better cared for, or made less inconvenient; but which seem to have got steadily worse over the last few years.
So here are three offerings, all taken in west London on the same day a couple of months ago.
So here’s episode four (for days 16 to 20) of my 100 day challenge to find words I don’t know. I’m scraping words from https://randomword.com/ and each day picking one that I find interesting and which is in the OED.
| Day | Date | Word | Meaning |
| 16 | Saturday 16 November | yeanling | A young lamb or kid |
| 17 | Sunday 17 November | yatzy | A dice game popular in Scandinavian countries (h/t Greta Thunberg) |
| 18 | Monday 18 November | zabernism | misuse of military authority; bullying |
| 19 | Tuesday 19 November | peristeronic | of, like, or pertaining to pigeons |
| 20 | Wednesday 20 November | bloomery ** | The first forge in an iron-works through which the metal passes after having been melted from the ore, and in which it is made into blooms |
** My favourite of the words presented.
Next episode in a few days!