Best known as Countdown’s legendary lexicographer, Susie Dent has been keeping contestants right on the iconic letter-scrambling series since 1992. Now she’s swapping Dictionary Corner for centre stage, touring with her one-woman show, The Secret Lives Of Words. Providing 'As' to some of our 'Qs', she teaches us a thing or two about her love and hatred of words, as well as when to call someone a 'mumpsimus'. 

Do you have a phobia or revulsion to any particular words? Or, in other words, do you suffer from onomatophobia? I think we all have a set of words that have our teeth on edge. My one is ‘moist’, but I also really dislike ‘flange’ and ‘gusset’.

When was the last time you were tongue-tied? People often assume that I’ll be flawless when it comes to speaking but I have bad days as much as anyone. The last time I found myself speechless was when I was asked if there is a word for looking longingly at the food on someone else’s plate. It’s one of my favourite words but it went straight out of my head: I can tell you now that it’s ‘groaking’.  

What obsolete or antiquated word would you like to see brought back? There are so many. We all know someone who is a ‘mumpsimus’, for example, a term from the 16th century that describes someone who insists that they are right, despite clear evidence that they are wrong. My absolute favourite, though, which I’m determined to bring back is ‘apricity’, a lost word that means ‘the warmth of the sun on a winter’s day’.

You are marvellous on Twitter, but it has a bad reputation now for its associations with election rigging and nutty billionaires. What do you think the future holds for it as a place for word lovers? Thank you! Twitter has been very good to me as it’s given me an outlet for indulging in my favourite subject. It’s a hard balance for any platform to allow freedom of expression while also preventing hate speech, but more certainly needs to be done to stem the viciousness and aggression that can permeate all social media. The key is the word ‘social’: these should be places to exchange views and to be listened to. 

Have you ever made up a word and passed it off as genuine?

In Scrabble, perhaps, though I couldn’t possibly comment . . . I think every family has their share of invented words that mean something only to them. But the dictionary has enough weird and wonderful words in it that most people would swear are entirely fictional. Who would believe, for example, that there is an actual word for releasing stress through swearing? It’s ‘lalochezia’.

Susie Dent: The Secret Lives Of Words, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, 23 July, 7.30pm; Doncaster Cast, 16 September, 7.30pm; Lichfield Garrick Theatre, 5 November, 2.30pm; Monmouth The Blake Theatre, 21 January, 2pm; Walsall Arena & Arts Centre, 4 February, 2pm; Plymouth Quad Theatre, 25 February, 2pm.