Peter Bowler’s wonderful collection The Completely Superior Person’s Book of Words (Bloomsbury, £14.99) has some good examples: Bezonian, Engastrimyth, Laevorotatory, Smatchet, Unthirlable. Commit a few of these to memory – with their meanings, of course – and you have an excellent impromptu party game or dinner-table conversation.

There’s even a word that’s relevant for Christmas lunch: uropygium means the fleshy part of a bird’s posterior, otherwise known as the pope’s nose. So now you know.

One thing about Christmas, from the reader’s point of view, is that publishers bring out a range of amusing books, in the hope that they will make good presents for those difficult-to-buy-for people such as uncles and brothers.

One of the more erudite of these is Poisoned Pens: Literary Invective from Amis to Zola (Frances Lincoln, £9.99).

Editor Gary Dexter has gathered a whole host of nasty things writers have said about other writers, such as Katherine Mansfield on George Bernard Shaw (“There is not the faintest hint of inspiration in that man”), or George Orwell on Huxley (“You were right about Huxley’s book — it is awful”). Miniature essays of invective — all very entertaining, and revealing surprising insights into both the attacker and the attacked.

What’s the MI5 code name for the Prime Minister’s car? What do red shoelaces imply? What does 86 mean in a restaurant? In Eye Spy (Hodder, £7.99), Justin Scroggie provides the answers to these, and exposes the meanings of many other secret signs and symbols in everyday life. This is another book that is excellent to dip into, entertaining and educational – and a great conversation starter.

Finally, for the kids, Why does Earwax Taste so Gross? by Mitchell Symons (Doubleday, £7.99) — a feast of trivia that you did and don’t want to know. For instance, Elvis Presley never gave an encore; the first draft of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was eaten by his dog; and walruses can suck the brains of seal pups out through their nostrils. Oh, and you can walk on custard, because it will thicken when pressure is applied. Now this is one you could try at home.