Long blinks

The speaking spot immediately after lunch is one many presenters dread and for good reason.

That’s when at least some members of the audience are likely to find the inside of their eyelids more compelling than the speaker.

Long blinks aren’t so bad if you’re not in the speakers’ line of sight but snoring is a give-away. So is the jolt of the head when you come to, even if you try to cover it up.

The Worsdworth column in last week’s Listener sought names for pretending you weren’t nodding off after you wake with a jolt.

Answers included: power (point)-napping, dishonestedium and a rued awakening.

Wordsworth’s words for non-voters

The Listener’s Wordsworth column search for words to describe people who choose not to vote elicited some gems:

Neglectors and poll faulters were suggested to describe the unmotivoted and unballotable.

Then there was non compos electis and dyselectic.

One of the people who came up with non voters were suffering from electile dysfunction suggested it could be treated with Keyallis.

The prize went to ballot-proof and electshuneers.