Sentimental, maybe ... but did Burns pen doggerel?

One is a broadcaster with a reputation for making controversial remarks. The other is Scotland's national bard.

One is a broadcaster with a reputation for making controversial remarks. The other is Scotland's national bard.

Yesterday they collided spectacularly when it was revealed that Jeremy Paxman has dismissed Robert Burns as "no more than a king of sentimental doggerel".

The Newsnight presenter's description of the poet comes in an introduction to the new edition of the Chambers Dictionary, which is to be published later this month.

Paxman's remark was immediately attacked by lovers of the bard with one leading Burns scholar describing it as taking "another poke in the ribs of Jock" not to mention both wrong and ill-informed.

The 11th edition of the Chambers Dictionary - written and published in Edinburgh - is full of new words which its editors say reflect the ever expanding English language in the 21st century.

Mary O'Neill, the editor in chief said she did not agree with Mr Paxman's comments, but said he was commissioned to write an introduction to the dictionary and she could not "censor" what he said.

Admitting they were "controversial" comments, she said: "It is not my personal view of Burns but you always listen to what he says, and I am very sure that he knows he is being controversial. We knew he would say something interesting and it will certainly get people talking."

Paxman's description of Burns comes in an introduction where he uses a number of unusual or rarely used words and comments on them.

He describes himself as "forswunk" and writes: "It's not exactly a word one hears every day, but, as a term to describe dog-tiredness it has a pleasing euphony.

"Although I'm afraid I find the Scottish national poet no more than a king of sentimental doggerel, one might as well have used his ramfeezled' to describe our state."

Ramfeezled means tired out or exhausted.

Dr Gerard Carruthers, a leading expert on Burns at Glasgow University, said that he could only surmise that Paxman had never read the work of the poet.

"This is absolute nonsense, and only someone who has never read Burns could say that," he said. "Originally, the term sentimental' was used to describe poets who engage with feelings as well as the mind, and if that is the way it is being used, then yes, Burns was sentimental.

"But in the modern sense it means treacly or sugary - and that is not the real Burns at all. I think this is a statement which is trying to trade off his image as a grumpy middle-aged man. It is very strange he is saying this in Chambers.

"It's the equivalent of poking a stick in Jocks' ribs, which is fine - if he really wants to do that."

Paxman has been criticised before for his attitude to Scotland, even though a TV genealogy show found that he is descended from a Scot, Mary McKay of Dalmarnock in Glasgow.

He was accused of anti-Scottish xenophobia by John Reid, the former health secretary. It followed an onscreen exchange with Mr Reid, who accused Paxman of insulting him - the presenter had called the politician an "attack dog" for the government.

At the time, Mr Reid replied: "You called me an attack dog because I've got a Glasgow accent."

Paxman once said that some Scots had a "chip on their shoulder" about their nationality and likened the dominance of Scots in government to Britain's former imperial rule of India.

Into the latest edition of Chambers come definitions of words and phrases such as carbon footprint (the impact of human activity measured in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide it causes to be emitted), and electrosmog (electromagnetic fields emitted by computers, mobile phones, believed by some to be harmful to health).

There is even the ubiquitous credit crunch (a sudden and drastic reduction in the availability of credit), and technological words such as Blu-ray (a type of DVD player).

Fantoosh words
The favourite words of some famous people, polled by Chambers to celebrate the 11th edition of their dictionary.

Fantoosh (flashy, fancy) tops author Alexander McCall Smith's list of favourites; he describes it as a "magnificent word".

First Minister Alex Salmond's favourite word is "sleekit". He said: "It's a very useful word in Parliamentary debates which when correctly aimed has the virtue of the recipient knowing that he's been insulted but not quite sure of the full extent of the attack."

Author Ali Smith is especially taken with some of the more unexpected collective nouns in Chambers, including a blush of boys, a shrewdness of apes, a wisp of snipe and a wedge of swans.