Dot Dash

I was in my teens when I first read The Hobbit. It’s the first time I can recall being aware of the fear of the number thirteen. (Missed that, did you? Gandalf suggested adding Bilbo to the expedition because thirteen dwarfs were considered very unlucky.) The unluckiest day of the week is generally thought to be Friday. (This one makes no sense. How could Friday be less lucky than Monday?) So Friday the 13th is thought to be especially bad luck. It’s even worse if Friday the 13th happens in October: the creepiest month of the year. (Don’t believe me? Try delivering newspapers in the predawn darkness. Trees that were harmless the rest of the year look and even sound sinister in October.) So you might want to stay in bed today. Tell your boss you suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia: fear of Friday the 13th. If that name bugs you, you may have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: fear of ridiculously long words.