VIEWPOINT
Word to the wise
This month Countdown's Susie Dent is on a mission to bring more positivity back into the English language
by SUSIE DENT
Being a lexicographer, I tend to linger on the dark side. Much as I would love to be leafing through pages of positivity and sunshine, the dictionary will often provide the opposite. After years of studying its thousands of entries I’ve come to the conclusion that we love to dwell on the sad and seamy side of life, and that we like nothing better than a good old moan. Is the weather dreary and dreich? No problem – you’ll find dozens of words to express it. Balmy and sun-drenched, on the other hand, that’s a bit more of a stretch.