had some interesting items for us.

From the letters page: http://makeashorterlink.com/?D15F62364

It is questionable, however, whether the word ulug (lout) has dropped out of current Arabic usage. The word derives from Hulagu (hence “hooligan”), a leader of the Mongols who stormed Baghdad in 1258 sparking a Muslim revolt.

Makes a change from blaming it on the Irish.

And from a book review: http://makeashorterlink.com/?X26F42364

This argument is familiar enough when it comes to discussions of Prozac, cosmetics or breast implants. The novelty of “Better Than Well” is that it makes the same case for such unlikely procedures as accent reduction, transsexual surgery and apotemnophilia (a longing for amputation); one man's mutilation, it seems, is another's self-discovery.


I'm not sure from the context whether apotemnophilia means a longing to have part of the body amputated or whether it means finding amputees sexually attractive. I suspect the former. In which case what is the latter called?

Bingley

Bingley