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The 'C' Word

Moneygami
WOULD you have known that Chrometophobia actually referred to the fear of money ? Quite frankly, I thought it was the fear of chrome. I don't know of anyone in my world who feared cash cuz most would be happy to be printing money in their backyards so they had greedy amount of paper money to sleep on or to keep a bonfire going with it! Okay, I'm exaggerating but I don't see how one can be persistently fearful of money to such distressing point that there was a need to coin a word for it. So I was somewhat perplexed when I first heard of the C word during a recent Business Writing workshop by Rajen Devadason (I realised I knew more about car engines than economics at the workshop). Consequently, that got me Googling for other uncommon phobias (or at least in my mind), and I ended up with the list below! To learn about more phobias, go to http://www.fearofstuff.com/ 

1) Arachibutyrophobia : You wouldn't have guessed it too, but this is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth ! What are the odds, right?

2) Chinaphobia : It's easy to presume that this refers to the fear of Chinese or the Chinese culture just like how Japanophobia and Dutchophobia indicate the fear of Japan (or anything Japanese) and the Dutch culture respectively. Chinaphobia is actually the fear of goose or geese :)

3) Geniophobia : The irrational fear of chins. It's not something to laugh about of course, but being afraid of chins and jaws (I'm supposing it's of human jaws. I am greatly afraid of jaws of certain animals) is just mind-boggling.

4) Pterenophobia : The fear of being tackled by feathers. Some people chronically fear this.

5) Papaphobia : I made up this word in my head long before I actually saw it on the website above, and in my head, it was the fear of dad. Well, it's taken up for the fear of the Pope.

6) Paraskavedekatriaphobia : Don't bother with it. It's easier said in English - the fear of Friday the 13th. But it's not half as bad as Christougenniatiko Dentophobia, which is the fear of Christmas Tree. When I read these terms, it was possible that I momentarily suffered from  Hellenologophobia or the fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.

7) Tremophobia : The fear of trembling is probably faced by those who've experienced earthquakes or tremors, but to find both fear and tremble in one phrase is irony in itself. However, the grand irony is in Phobophobia I must say cuz it's the fear of phobias!

8) Quranophobia : No, it's not the fear of the holy Quran. It's actually the fear of heaven. Fearing hell is Hadeophobia.

9) Aurophobia : I don't wear or like wearing gold, but I know that it is not wise to have the fear of gold as it is the easiest hard commodity to grow.

10) Bolshephobia : Fear of Bolsheviks, and I can see why.

I had fun going through the list of fears, and while at it, I noted that I have at least 25 of the phobias from the list, but thankfully Maliaphobia (fear of wigs) isn't one of them, and I can now give a somewhat clinical explanation as to why I dislike swimming or being in the sea and lakes cuz I clearly have Ictyhyophobia, which is the great fear of fishes. I wouldn't mind if more people had Kleptophobia (fear of stealing) if it's going to make the world a better place - I hear people in Saudi suffer from this fear since the punishment for stealing is to cut off the right hand, sometimes even for stealing basic neccesities like food :(

By the way, the fear of chrome comes under Metallophobia, which is the fear of metals.

Comments

  1. A lot of these phobias are just plain silly. Why would anyone be scared of the Pope? He's just a silly old buffer in a frock. Is there also a word for fear of Danny La Rue?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree, GB. Most are silly. I see you fear La Rue, and I can see why too. You should come up with a term.
    Really ? You think an old man in a frock is not scary enough ?
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the Moneygami

    ReplyDelete
  4. hahaha. wats the fear of maths called?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nursie : Me too :)

    Priya : It's called Arithmophobia :) And there are also terms for fear of specific numbers like the fear of number 13 is Triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 666 is Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, and fear of the number 4 is Tetraphobia.

    It's kind of giving me the phobophobia !

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a friend who is afraid of swallowing his own hair. I have to admit it's entertaining to watch him panic, pull out a hair out of his mouth and spend the next 10 minutes trying to figure out if it's his hair.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Inverse : welcome here :)
    I also hv a thing abt hair, but in my case it doesn't matter whose hair it is, I just can't see hair in my food or feel it in my mouth. It puts me off.
    Is your friend okay with other people's hair ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just might suffer from chrometophilia. :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have a fear of being asked to spell any one of those phobias.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mdias: but why??? :)

    MP : I can totally get why :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hahah.. looks like i have all the maths and number phobia

    ReplyDelete
  12. haha some of those are sooooo dumb!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fear of money? I wish I knew someone with that fear, I would take all that terrible cash off their hands so they'd never have to be bothered again

    ReplyDelete
  14. Yup, he's OK with other peoples hair but his own freaks him out.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dropped by via Saby, couldn't help noticing the phobia about chins... but then again, double chins are pretty scary, aren't they? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello Terra ! You're right :) double chins are pretty scary !

    ReplyDelete
  17. JJ, isn't it about time for a new post? ;)

    ReplyDelete

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