Delulu Magniloquence And Emuskulation
The Word Collector — Part 81
This is the latest in a series about new words and phrases, specimens collected during expeditions into the deepest, darkest literary and media wilderness, and displayed for your entertainment, elucidation, and enlightenment. These are new to me, but of course, you may know some or all of them already, in which case you are welcome to marvel at my ignorance, an inexhaustible seam of material to be mined. As a challenge, see how many you already know!
Delulu: an adjective meaning utterly mistaken or unrealistic in one’s ideas or expectations. This word turned up among other contenders for “Collins Word of the Year” for 2024 (the winner was brat, of which more further down this article).
magniloquence — this is an adjective meaning of high-flown language. The word turned up in a “Guardian” article.
emuskulation — this neologism appeared in a “Guardian” article, by the excellent George Monbiot, who coined the word, to describe the malign influence of the world’s richest man Elon Musk on American politics, suggesting that just as Musk has bought and eviscerated Twitter/X, he is also trying to buy American democracy, with similar plans.
Volapük — an international language created in the 19th century. Remarkably there were conventions…
