Graffiti from Belinda

Dear Word Spy,

Do you like graffiti?

from Belinda

Dear Belinda,

Hmm, graffiti...I should like graffiti, seeing I'm a Word Spy. I should like words wherever they appear. Sometimes I see graffiti that is funny or interesting or moving or beautiful and I like it. But sometimes I've seen graffiti that is frightening or ugly and I don't like it at all. So let's just say I like some graffiti!

Graffiti is an Italian word, and it means something scratched or scribbled. It actually goes all the way back to an ancient Greek word, "grapheo" meaning "I write". People have been scratching graffiti into walls, rocks, floors and trees for thousands of years. Just doing what comes naturally, I guess...

I think my favourite graffiti was one scrawled on a wall near where I used to live. It was very humble - it just said "Merry Christmas". (!)

Scratching away, your friend, the Word Spy.