Caldera – Large crater caused by the collapse of land after a volcanic explosion.

Dystopia – An imaginary place of total misery and wretchedness. Metaphor for hell.

Frisson – A brief moment of emotional excitement, shudder or thrill.

Whipping boy – A scapegoat. Coming from a tradition where a master’s misdeeds would be punished by having a servant whipped in their place.

Funambulist – A tightrope walker.

Zansar – A secret language among the Tibetans.

Sylph – A slender graceful woman or girl.

Mail-bomb – The flooding of an e-mail address with (usually angry) messages. Firewalls are set up to flag or catch these mail-bombs and shield them from the end-users. More stringent laws are being considered to declare this activity as illegal.