Words / C2

rak-on-TUR/ˌrækɒnˈtɜː/

A raconteur is someone who tells stories with skill and entertainment: a gifted raconteur, dine with a raconteur. Storyteller is everyday; a paean (already in the dictionary) is a hymn of praise, not a yarn. Anecdote is the short tale itself. Do not hire a raconteur to bury an embargo.

Meaning

A person who tells stories in an entertaining, skilful way.

Examples

• “Hire a raconteur after the embargo, not to bury it.”
• “Storyteller is everyday. Anecdote is the piece told. A paean is praise (already in C2). A panegyric is formal public praise (already in C2). Dinner talk can wait. A yes-or-no on circulation cannot. Name the embargo; then the after-dinner turn.”

Good to know

A skilled storyteller. Everyday: storyteller. Contrast: paean / panegyric (praise — already in C2). A yarn is not an embargo.

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