Casting around the internet for a horrid word with which to regale you, I came across several posts containing lists of negative words starting with the letter E.
What's so special about the letter E?
Well, I had a look, and I still have no idea.
The word that stood out for me in the lists, though, was effigy, because I'd never before thought of it as a negative word (not like egocentric and emaciated, for example). But, come to think about it, if someone makes an effigy of you then the chances are that you're either dead:
William of Wyckham, Winchester, photo by Poliphilo
or someone is planning either to throw the thing on a bonfire or to stick pins in it - neither exactly a sign of popularity.
As a word, though, personally, I think it's actually rather cuddly.
Sunday Rest: effigy. This word comes from the Latin effigiēs, from effingere, to portray, from fingere, to shape.
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