Laughter can arise from such activities as being tickled 1

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The crushing futility of existence 

The people who keep their minds in the gutter 

1 The action of delivering goods

2 Giving birth

3 The manner of throwing a cricket ball

4 The manner of  giving a speech

5 The supply or provision of something

As  delivery is supposed to be one of the buzz words for the Tory  conference, one may ask in which of these senses does the Government intend to deliver, or think it is delivering?  Current events give no  clue.

Choice, now used almost exclusively to  describe voting for people to run the country or part of it.  Now felt  by many electors to offer no real choice, leading to their not voting.   Hence the term, like so many in politics, is undergoing a change in  meaning and should be used with caution.

Pejorative Cornish word for non-Cornish people, used to refer to tourists (and sure to be heard during the G7 summit).  In Devon, the equivalent term is grockle.

Coined to describe a large accumulation of fat in the sewers, a small portion of which was visible. Recently an epithet for sleaze, but so disgusting that people tend to close their minds to both senses.  So nothing to worry about. 

Someone incapable of creating order, perhaps preferring chaos. Not to be confused with un con petant. 

From Italy post 1878, but now relevant to the Israel/Palestine conflict.  A person or organisation who calls for the seizure or recovery of territories or states currently subject to other countries. Sometimes rendered as irredentist. 

To use malware to manipulate ATMs into spitting out  lots of cash. In 2018 criminals got away with $13.5m from India’s Cosmos Bank through 15,000 cash-machine withdrawals in just two hours. 

More than 50%. However, in an election (see above) only correctly  filled-in ballots are used to calculate this, thereby excluding the  disgruntled, the apathetic and the disenfranchised. 

Originally a way of making public information announcements and answering relevant questions; now a major source of deliberate obfuscation designed to reach a wide audience, while appearing to be frank. 

Formerly an undertaking, now the formulation of a desired outcome with no expectation of fulfilment. 

Formerly a well-publicised failure to adhere to public morality or custom, resulting in disgrace. Now useful to distract from more serious problems in public life.  Can be , and is used successively.  A term to be used with caution. 

Behaviour which is sordid, corrupt or immoral. Most often used to describe the Tory party and usually doesn’t have traction.  Still, if in doubt, start using it against other parties, so it looks normal. 

Principles of conduct informed by notions of decency or honour (OED) Try using it in its other sense of flags to rally troops and foster unity. 

Principle that decisions should be taken at the lowest level possible or closest to where they will have their effect, rather than by a central authority. 

1 Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind  can be distinctly seen.

2 Openness to public scrutiny.

For Government  claims about many of its activities to be true, there will need to be a  redefinition of public scrutiny. 

Noun meaning a firm belief in the reliability or truth of a person, statement or entity. Possibly obsolete.  Verb meaning having such a belief. e.g. ‘Oh Lord, in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded.’ Book of Common Prayer.

Noun meaning a long established legal device for separating apparent from beneficial ownership of real or personal property.  Formerly used mainly in inheritance law but now an effective way of concealing beneficial ownership.  Very useful to understand how this works; worth spending some time on it.