Uncommon fears

An XKCD comic on August 16th titled Increased Risk mentioned:

“..odds of getting shot by a swimming dog carrying a handgun in its mouth.”

Randall Munroe didn’t bother to give that fear a name, so with tongue-in-cheek I just did - hoplocynohydrophobia. Clearly it is a very uncommon fear. I never ever thought about it until he wrote about it. Both luposlipaphobia (fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly waxed floor) and arachybutyrophobia (fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth) also are uncommon.

This month an article from Marie Claire magazine asked singer-songwriter Taylor Swift their standard celebrity questions, including what was on her top five fears list. She replied that they were:

1. Sea urchins
2. Googling myself
3. Earwigs
4. Cynics
5. Getting arrested

When you ask an inappropriate question you can expect rather uncommon answers. Ms. Swift’s second album was titled Fearless, and it won Grammy awards in 2010 both for Best Country Album and Album of the Year.

This image of a swimming dog was Photoshopped to add a handgun.