Mungo Chard - Rain

We have an almost total lack of descriptors for smell in English. The word ‘petrichor’ to describe the smell of rain hitting dry soil was deliberately coined in 1964, but surprisingly few targeted descriptors exist. Instead we rely on generic terms like ‘fusty’, ‘pungent’, ‘redolent’, or ‘sweet’, which barely say anything at all. It is never too late for reform. To start the ball rolling, here are four new submissions for the OED: 

·        The smell of falling snow when there is no wind – tingledust (adj., n., v.)

·        Clay soil that is completely dry and hardened to lumps – lungsludge (adj., n.)

·        A clipped lawn that has a high proportion of weeds such as dandelions – greenslap (n., adj.)

·        A kitchen sponge that has been left soggy overnight – sinkrot (adj., n.)

·        A heater that is turned on for the first time in the year and is burning off dust – leckybillterroric (adj.)