Susie Dent's word of the day throws shade on those who 'hold office or wield power, whatever the cost'

Susie Dent always seems to find the perfect way to sum up the moment, and her latest word of the day is no different.

The Countdown lexicographer has once again captured the public mood perfectly by tweeting her latest thinly-veiled digs at prime minister Boris Johnson and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Fittingly, Dent’s word of the day today is the 19th-century word – empleomania.

“Word of the day is ‘empleomania’ (19th century): the desire to hold office or wield power, whatever the cost,” she wrote.

It comes after world leaders condemned Putin and prepared Tuesday to hit his administration with sanctions as he heightened fears of war.

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The president announced legislation that would allow the deployment of troops to rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in the UK, Johnson has faced some criticism after scrapping requirements for people to self-isolate if they have Covid.

With all the empty words spoken in politics, Susie shows again that she only needs one to cut through the noise.

Susie Dent's word of the day hits the nail on the head Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Back in January, Susie summed up the mood after tweeting her word of the day following the partygate scandal.

With the Conservative party in turmoil over so-called patygate as numerous rule-breaking parties were believed to have been held at Number 10 during various stages of lockdown, the government were accused of distraction tactics.

Downing Street announced that they would abolish the BBC licence fee and freeze funding for the broadcaster by 2027.

In a tweet, Dent said: “Word of the day is ‘sparple’ (14th century): to deflect unwanted attention from one thing by making a big deal of another.”

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