Weird Words: Deltiology

DELTIOLOGY (n) (from Greek)—From time to time I attend professional bodybuilding contests. They're pretty much as you'd imagine, only more so! Lots of grunting, sweating, posing and flexing, and that's just from the audience. I feel as out of place as a writer at a bodybuilding show. But however much I try, I can't find any deltiology there, for though it may sound like "the study of the muscle groups of the shoulder", it in fact means "the collecting and study of postcards".

There are stranger things in this world. A few years ago I overheard a conversation at a pub—two men were talking about setting up their new central business district office premises. They were discussing the acquisition of desks, computers, fax machines, photocopiers and staff. The venture? A club for collectors of beer coasters. Perhaps that's called 'Bellyology'.