Samuel Johnson's 'Dictionary of the English Language' is one of the most famous dictionaries in

history. First published in 1755, the dictionary took just over eight years to compile, required six
helpers, and listed 40,000 words. Each word was defined in detail, the definitions illustrated with
quotations covering every branch of learning. It was a huge scholarly achievement, a more extensive
and complex dictionary than any of its predecessors. It was based on the best conversation of
contemporary London and the normal usage of respected writers.

Many of the words that Johnson included were incomprehensible to the average reader - long words
such as ‘deosculation’, ‘odontalgick’. He is even believed to have made up some words. His definition
of oats is very rude to the Scots. He defines the word as 'A Grain, which in England is generally
given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.' Johnson was criticised for imposing his
personality on to the book. However, his dictionary was enormously popular and highly respected
for its epic sense of scholarship.

In Johnson’s view, the language was in a mess, and was in desperate need of some discipline:
'wherever I turned my view', he wrote, 'there was perplexity to be disentangled, and confusion to
be regulated.' However, in the process of compiling the dictionary, Johnson recognized that the
language was impossible to fix, because of its constantly changing nature (as any other one), and
that his role was to record the language of the day, rather than to form it. The dictionary was
instantly recognized as a landmark throughout Europe.

The weirdest words that can be found in Johnson’s humorous and surprising dictionary are the
following:

 "Anatiferous, adjective: Producing ducks."

 "Backfriend, noun: A friend backwards; that is, an enemy in secret."

 "Camelopard, noun: An Abyssinian animal, taller than an elephant, but not so thick. He is
so named, because he has a neck and head like a camel; he is spotted like a pard, but his
spots are white upon a red ground. The Italians call him giaraffa."

 "Cynanthropy, noun: A species of madness in which men have the qualities of dogs."

 "Dull, adjective: Not exhilarating; not delightful: as, to make dictionaries is dull work."

 "Fart, noun: Wind from behind.”

 "Hotcockles, noun: A play [game] in which one covers his eyes, and guesses who strikes
him."

 "Pissburnt, adjective: Stained with urine."

 "Sock, noun: Something put between the foot and shoe."