The Deadword Dictionary was first written more than twenty years ago. I'm making some changes, based on further refinement of the concept, and also including an "Iffy" section. Here are the rules for the selection of Deadwords: Orphans, words used in only a single common expression, with no flexibility, such as "yore" as in "days of yore." Faux amis, words borrowed from another language but misunderstood or misapplied (a la mode) Obsolete words or phrases Iffy words-you decide whether they still have weight in today's language. You might call this the rearview mirror perspective, with a "huh"...

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market is a fable of two sisters who encounter the goblin merchants, who offer tempting fruits with beguiling voices, begging them to try, to taste, to touch. A friend had succumbed to their alluring charm before, and then, having tasted, gradually wasted away to death. One sister heeds the warning signs and begs the other sister to follow her home and ignore the beckoning calls of the insistent, persistent goblins who promise so much. But the second sister lingers to know more, and, even when admitting that she has no money, they accept just a lock of her golden...