Joshua Blackburn
@leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
260 followers 570 following 170 posts
Creator of the quiz game about words and language, League of the Lexicon, and author of The Language-Lover's Lexipedia (Bloomsbury / Avid Reader Press, 2025). https://linktr.ee/leagueofthelexicon
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leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Just spotted a nice bit of micro gardening on our street. ‘Thank you’, mystery gardener.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Lovely share from my good friend Dorian... thanks!
dorianlynskey.bsky.social
My friend Josh has his first book out. The ideal gift for the word geek in your life, full of fascinating things
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia is now on sale in the UK. It’s pretty sweet seeing something that has consumed so much of your life sitting in Waterstones like it’s always belonged there… Thank you @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social.
If words are your jam, it’ll make you happy.
shorturl.at/5TwQI
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Oooh! Lovely to see The Language-Lover's Lexipedia sitting in this glorious pile!
bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social
❤️📚 It's a huge publication week at Bloomsbury! We have a gorgeous stack of books just waiting to be devoured. What has taken your eye?

Thread 👇
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia is now on sale in the UK. It’s pretty sweet seeing something that has consumed so much of your life sitting in Waterstones like it’s always belonged there… Thank you @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social.
If words are your jam, it’ll make you happy.
shorturl.at/5TwQI
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
I wrote a fun post for the Waterstones blog about five interesting words and phrases...
You can catch it here:
shorturl.at/c4PlX
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
I just wrote a Substack about the origin of League of the Lexicon. If you're interested to find out how a lockdown hobby became the biggest word game in Kickstarter history, take a look.
shorturl.at/5ezag
COVID-19, screentime and the biggest word game in Kickstarter history
How League of the Lexicon became one of the bestselling word games of the decade
open.substack.com
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
I just received the first copy of The Language-Lover's Lexipedia and I'm lost for words. It's a thing of beauty. It's been a labour of love writing it, but I couldn't be prouder. For all the word lovers out there, this book should be a bringer of joy.
Out later this month (UK): shorturl.at/gjp9o
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Here’s another… They’re harder than you might think to devise! (If you have any suggestions, please let me know.)
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
As a dad who’s into language, it was only a matter of time before i started posting linguistic dad-jokes. So let’s get cracking with this beaut. More to come on my new Lexipedian Substack: substack.com/@joshuablack...
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
"If you can't say anything nice, say it in French."
Anon

Moule à merde!
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Perfect! h/t Jacob Andrews, who nailed it.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Starting my audiobook recording tomorrow... Particularly concerned about these doozies...
Ablanathanalba
Sisopetron
Discumgalligumfricated
Llanbedrycennin
Sjörapport
Tyrosemiophilist
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia
Zyzzyxdonta
ZZXJOANW
Cicadellidae
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Please help!! I'm recording the audiobook for The Language-Lover's Lexipedia next week which includes this 100-letter word from Joyce's Finnegan's Wake:
bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk!
any thoughts??
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
This is Dr Johnson's desk... the very one on which he wrote A Dictionary of the English Language. It's hard to imagine how such a huge achievement was accomplished on something so small. It can't be much more than a metre wide. But it's a wonderful thing to see.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
I've spent the last few weeks being a tourist in my own city, which has been a wonder. One highlight was my visit to Dr Johnson's house in Gough Square. Having written an entry about Johnson in The Language-Lover's Lexipedia (plug!) I found it more astonishing than I expected.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Walking down Tavistock Place today and saw Blue Plaques for Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Jerome K Jerome just a door apart... Sadly they didn't live there at the same time. They would have made fine neighbours.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
I hate to disagree... but I disagree. As the OED says, I think Winchester Goose could well be both.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
i'm not sure you're right about that... from the picture i posted, 'winchester goose' sounds to be the person, but might also be the thing.
leagueofthelexicon.bsky.social
Weird! The first thing I did was look it up in Green's, but I didn't find anything. Thanks!