The sections in this chapter share a preoccupation with matters of gender. By gender I don't mean the grammatical device by which the notions of masculine, feminine, impersonal or neuter are realised and conveyed linguistically, though this of itself is fascinating. Nor am I concerned with the biological notion of gender which differentiates living organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles. Rather, the notion of gender underpinning the pieces in this chapter has to do with the social construction of masculine and feminine identities. Given the importance of language in society, it is hardly surprising that socially constructed gender will have linguistic accompaniments. Granted, gender and language bring us to a rather murky place, where the tensions and contestations that accompany much of what is called ‘gender politics’ jostle and compete, and will probably continue to, so long as the ranks of the powerful are bastions of male privilege. As things stand, both historically and presently, one side writes the rules in its own image, and as long as this is so, language both reflects the effort and shapes the reality.

Lazy poet

An advertisement for a tiny mobile phone on the back of taxis. Full groinal frontal. Be-tighted male ballet dancer, crown jewels compactly grouped into an explicit, eye-catching bulge. Accompanying message – ‘a helluva lot in a very small space’ – applies to both commodities: tiny phone/groinal bulk. OK. Sex sells. We knew that.

Perversity aside, there's the sheer economy of words.