Shashi Tharoor’s ‘hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia’ post makes Twitter search for a dictionary

Along with the word “hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia,” Shashi Tharoor also used two other words in his tweet which have sparked tons of reactions.

Shashi Tharoor, Thiruvananthapuram MP, is known for his wit and verbal prowess. Thanks to Twitter, every now and then people get glimpses of his rich vocabulary which never fails to spark chatter among people. Also, there are times that the words he uses make people turn to their dictionaries. Case in point is this word used by the minister in his latest tweet. The word is hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia.

Shashi Tharoor’s latest tweet prompted people to share all sorts of reactions. (Screengrab)

However, before knowing why he used that word or what it means, in case you’re already asking yourself ‘what does that mean?’, let’s give you a peek into the context of the incident.

Recently the trailer of web series Aarya, featuring Sushmita Sen and Chandrachur Singh, was launched and it sent Twitter into a total frenzy. Several tweeted that the look of the character played by Singh has similarities with the MP. Joining the trend, Saloni Gaur, a comedian who goes by the name of Nazma Aapi on social media, also shared a hilarious video.

It’s while replying to Mehta’s tweet, the MP used the word “hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia”.

Praising Gaur’s efforts the minister wrote, “Flattered by the comedic imitation. However, I would like to believe that I am not such a garrulous sesquipedalian. Clearly the artiste on the screen does not suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia!”.

Soon people started sharing all sorts of comments on the word used. There were many who also jokingly added that the words “garrulous” and “sesquipedalian” too made them search for their dictionaries.

via GIPHY

In case you’re wondering, the meaning of the word “hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia”, quite ironically, is fear of long words. As for the word “garrulous,” it means having the habit of talking a lot and “sesquipedalian” means someone tending to use very long words.

From GIFs to memes to witty reactions, people left no stone unturned while commenting on the tweet.

There were also some, who, probably in a bid to spare others from dusting the dictionaries, tweeted the meanings of the words.

“Simple mai boldo sir. Usko dictionary mai khojte khojte subah ho jaayegi,” joked another. “If anything, we’re certainly getting a hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia,” wrote another.

Did Shashi Tharoor’s tweet make you search for your dictionary too?