'The English language is wayward & majestic'

The Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent, tells us about her love of words as she continues her UK tour

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FOR someone whose life revolves around a true love of the English language and who is razor-sharp at deciphering the whimsies of our mother tongue, Susie Dent doesn’t seem like the sort of person to be tripped up by the simple things. But she admits she has been stumped, albeit on the rare occasion.

Countdown co-presenter and Queen of Dictionary Corner for more than 30 years, Susie has many fond memories of her time on the show and recalls one particularly amusing moment.

“I was doing some work and I was reminiscing about Richard Whiteley, when one of my most embarrassing moments came back to me,” Susie relates.

“The letters had been selected, the clock had ticked down, and a contestant offered their five-letter word. I didn’t quite catch what they said, so I asked them to spell it, which they duly did: D. O. I. N. G. In my head this translated to ‘doing’ to rhyme with ‘boing,’ so I proceeded to look it up. Until Richard saved my bacon by chipping in with ‘It’s doing Susie?’”

Susie turned down the offer to join the team of Oxford University Press lexicographers who took turns in Dictionary Corner three times, but a persistent boss wouldn't let it lie.

“It wasn’t on my bucket list to be on TV; I’m happiest when I'm below the radar! But now I’m so grateful my audition was successful,” she said.

“As for my first appearance, I said as little as possible. There is a clip online of that first show, when I sat next to Rula Lenska and looked utterly frozen.

“I will be forever amazed, and grateful, that they kept me on. After about 10 years, Richard and Carol wanted a full-time lexicographer within the team, and happily I ended up alongside them as a permanent fixture.”

But for someone who had no inclination to appear on TV, Susie has a very clear place in her heart for the Channel 4 afternoon words and numbers quiz and its Friday-night naughtier sibling 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.