100 Random Facts About The English Language

This month, words and trivia Twitter account @HaggardHawks turns one year old. Since December 2013, we've been tweeting obscure words, surprising etymologies and bizarre linguistic facts every day, covering everything from abature (that's the trail of trampled grass an animal leaves behind it) and abligurition [...]
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1. Bumblebees were nicknamed foggy-toddlers in 18th century England.

2. Pupaphobia is the fear of dolls and puppets.

3. Cowards have been called chickens since the 14th century.

4. A monepic sentence is one that contains a single word.

5. The distance between your thumb and the opposite side of your hand when it's extended is called the shaftment.

6. In 16th century English, twirk (spelled with an E, not an I) meant "to twist the hairs of a moustache."

7. The word creosote literally means "flesh-preserver."

8. The feeling of calmness or contentedness that follows a pleasant dream is called euneirophrenia.

9. The word comet comes from a Greek word meaning "long-haired star."

10. To dismantle originally meant "to remove a cloak."

11. In its earliest known written record, the English alphabet had 29 letters.

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