Ficlets

An Ironic Fear

Fears. Everyone has them, I suppose. But I was never a cliche. I could sleep without a light, I didn’t mind spiders. I could play rough and tumble with the best of them. Fearless Julie.

Fast forward to seventh grade. “Does anyone know what the longest word in the dictionary is?” My English teacher asked innocently. Hands waved.

“Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious!”

“That’s not in the dictionary, dummy!”

“Antidisestablishmentarianism!”

I cowered in my seat, covering my ears. My body began to tremble. The other kids were starting to look at me funny. “I think she doesn’t feel well,” said Steve, who was sitting next to me.

“Julie, are you alright?” The teacher asked. I could not reply, just looked at her with wide eyes. Suddenly she began to laugh.

“What?” I managed to croak out. I was not under the impression that this was terribly funny.

“Julie, you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia! The fear…”

I don’t have any fears! I thought stubbornly.

“of long words!”

I ran screaming from the room.

Comments

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An Ironic Fear
Three Gryphon[s]
Posted 9 months ago

LOL !!!!!
An Ironic Fear
artistsrunwild
Posted 9 months ago

i like this

i thought it was very funny

check the phobia list on the net and i think there is actually a real phobia of long words

i know lol

but this was great…it made me laugh
An Ironic Fear
someday_93
Posted 9 months ago

yeah, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is actually the fear of long words…
An Ironic Fear
THX 0477
Posted 9 months ago

And they would have to make the term for a fear of long words the longest freaking word possible. Aren’t psychiatrists just absolute basta….I mean, well intentioned professionals, and stuff.
An Ironic Fear
someday_93
Posted 9 months ago

Oh, yes, naturally they are well intentioned professionals. Clearly they had some reason for this, um, interesting word choice.
An Ironic Fear
Stovohobo
Posted 9 months ago

Oh, you skipped “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis”. That’s the longest word in the English language. (I spelled that without spellcheck or anything, I feel special!)
An Ironic Fear
Laine P. Grey
Posted 9 months ago

Hmm, I rather liked it.
An Ironic Fear
someday_93
Posted 9 months ago

What on earth does that long word mean?
An Ironic Fear
Yeah Write!
Posted 9 months ago
i think he made it up… it looks like…
```
pneumonia... ultra... microscopic... silicon... volcano... coniosis (whatever that is)
```
funny story! hilarious even!

I will be back with the meaning of that word… if it’s not a mischievous trick!
An Ironic Fear
Yeah Write!
Posted 9 months ago
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is ‘a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust found in volcanoes.’ It was created simply to serve as the longest English word. (and to scare people apparently! muhahaha!) The more widely used term is pneumoconiosis.
```
find this info on wikipedia!
```
An Ironic Fear
someday_93
Posted 9 months ago

Wow…I did not know that. That’s…um…very interesting!
An Ironic Fear
Dreamer
Posted 9 months ago

Gasp hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is my favorite word! I’m like obsessed with it.
An Ironic Fear
Shadow
Posted 9 months ago

Rofl!
Very funny.
An Ironic Fear
One Time, One Chance
Posted 9 months ago

stov- er, steve, why are you able to spell that without spell check?
~
nice job – i was gonna enter with hippopotomonstosesquippedaliophobia as my entry, but whtevr. i saw it in my agenda last year and i thought it was hilarious =] dreamer – i too lovee the word!