Confessions of the Linguistic Spy

Photo credit: ALAMY

Even though my humble blog has been getting quite a lot of visits recently, I decided I shouldn’t rest on my laurels, so there’s a new word for you.

Today I had yet another driving lesson and as I was about to do something… shall we say, not very clever, my instructor interfered. He reminded me that at the test he wouldn’t be there to prevent me from getting into ‘hairy situations’.

‘Hairy‘, apart from its obvious meaning, can also mean something frightening or dangerous. Also, ‘hairy’ rhymes with ‘scary’, which should make it easier to remember.

Let’s have a look at some  examples:

– Some locals say the town centre can be a slightly hairy place to be at night, but all are pretty shocked (The Guardian).

– Henry Gray, a field co-ordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, said in an email: “It’s quite a hairy situation here at the moment. We’re hearing constant gunfire along with the occasional heavy detonation” (The Guardian).

– From up here, Bamako is silent. I enjoy the peace before taking a steep (and frequently hairy) descent back into the centre of town (The Economist).

– Some people feel claustrophobic under the water but I find it quite the opposite. There’s a sense of tranquillity and weightlessness. Even in the hairier situations, like being separated from my friend by a huge Tiger shark, every moment’s a joy (The Guardian).