The problem with the alphabet is that it bears no relation to anything at all, and when words are arranged alphabetically they are uselessly separated. In the OED, for example, aardvarks are 19 volumes away from the zoo, yachts are 18 volumes from the beach, and wine is 17 volumes from the nearest corkscrew.
Mark Forsyth (2013). “The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language”, p.9, Penguin
