@wyattderman
Instagram · Speaker address
@wyattderman Weird random oddity no. 13… the Oxford English Dictionary 🤷♂️ #dictionary #englishlanguage #parislife #readingisfun
Trending short videosStrange but true dictionary story
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Shots Text1:06
Performance
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- Engagement
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- Outlier
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- Length · 24 Jul 2026
- 1:06
Video #37595 · Speaker address
Strange but true dictionary storyfrom @wyattderman
[01]
Overview
The creator shares his recent obsession, sparked by living in Paris, with the history of the English dictionary. He tells the strange and true story of William Chester Minor, a murderer and Civil War surgeon who became one of the most significant contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary while confined to an asylum for the criminally insane.
[02]
Simple outline
- 1State relatable premise & hook
- 2Reveal a shocking discovery
- 3Unveil the full, wild backstory
- 4Show the resulting personal obsession
[03]
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Classification
Format
Concepts
Elements
Account
[05]
Hook analysis
What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds
Title hook · 55%
I've been living in Paris not being able to speak fluent French
Verbal hook · 40%
I've been living in Paris not being able to speak fluent French and this is what nobody warned me about.
Visual hook · 5%
A man speaking directly to the camera on a Parisian street with the Panthéon visible in the background, establishing an interesting location and personal connection.
[06]
Hook template
Steal this for your own video
I've been in and this is what nobody warned me about.
- — I've been homesteading in rural Montana and this is what nobody warned me about.
- — I've been trading stocks full-time and this is what nobody warned me about.
- — I've been homeschooling my kids for 3 years and this is what nobody warned me about.
[07]
Hook and payoff
The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back
Hook
Establish a relatable, everyday situation and immediately tease that it led to an unexpected and disturbing discovery, creating an immediate intrigue gap.
Payoff
Provide specific, humorous examples of how the narrator's new obsession is manifesting in their everyday life, making the abstract consequence tangible and serving as the final punchline.
[08]
Narrative framework
The structural pattern this video runs on
Framework
The Rabbit Hole Revelation
Frame the discovery of a shocking or bizarre piece of information as a personal journey of escalating obsession, starting from a relatable premise and ending with the humorous consequences of that obsession.
- 1
The Innocent Question & Dark Foreshadowing
Connect the relatable premise to a seemingly simple question, then explicitly state that the answer is unsettling, priming the audience for a revelation.
- 2
The Shocking Revelation
Deliver the first major piece of surprising information in a concise, impactful statement. This is the core 'what' of the story.
- 3
The Layered Mystery
Add a new, intriguing detail to the initial revelation that complicates the story and raises more questions (e.g., 'nobody knew for 20 years').
- 4
The Paradoxical Detail & Point of No Return
Introduce a contradiction that deepens the mystery (e.g., 'best contributor but refused to meet') and explicitly state that the narrator's curiosity compelled them to dig deeper, signaling a descent into the rabbit hole.
- 5
The Full Backstory Unveiling
Rapidly deliver a series of specific, surprising, and detailed facts that explain the 'why' and 'how' behind the initial shocking revelation, serving as the climax of the discovery.
- 6
The Consequence of Curiosity
Shift the narrative focus from the discovered information back to the narrator, humorously detailing how this new knowledge has consumed their thoughts and displaced other interests.
Themes
Techniques
Trends
Post caption
Weird random oddity no. 13… the Oxford English Dictionary 🤷♂️ #dictionary #englishlanguage #parislife #readingisfun
Text overlays
contextual · beginning
I've been living in Paris not being able to speak fluent French
contextual · beginning
and this is what nobody warned me about
contextual · beginning
I became quite curious about who came up with the English dictionary
contextual · beginning
and what I discovered is quite disturbing
informational · middle
because the Oxford English Dictionary was partly written by a murderer
informational · middle
he was inside an asylum and nobody knew for 20 years
informational · middle
he couldn't leave he was locked in Broadmoor the asylum for the criminally insane
informational · middle
a Civil War surgeon gone paranoid who shot an innocent man then mailed in 10,000 definitions from his cell
contextual · end
I don't have hobbies I have a murderer and a dictionary
Transcript
Been living in Paris no being able to speak fluent French and this is what nobody warned me about. Since I still think in English, I became quite curious about who came up with the English dictionary rank what I discovered is quite disturbing. Because the Oxford English Dictionary, the greatest dictionary in the English language, was partly written by a murderer. He was inside an asylum and nobody knew for twenty years. He's the best contributor they had and he kept refusing to meet anyone. And I thought that's interesting. I should good stopped there better I did not stop there. So now I cannot hear the word poor without making it weird because of course I looked up why he refused. He couldn't leave. He was locked in Broadmoor, the asylum for the criminally insane, a civil war surgeon gone paranoid who shot an innocent man then mailed in 10,000 definitions from his cell. No I'm reading about him when I should probably be sleeping. I've read three things about Victorian asylums this week. Now it's displaced everything. I don't have hobbies. I have a murderer and a dictionary. Brought him up at dinner on the