Customer Reviews

A Browser's Dictionary: A Compendium of Curious Expressions & Intriguing Facts

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...you will not be able to put this book down. Well, if you do, it's okay because you can open it up on any page and enjoy it. It is for those who love books, writing, history and it is for those who have that whimsical curiosity about the language and our use of certian words. Akin to the great New York Times columnist's William Safire etiological On Language column, this is just as fun and at times just as whimsical and quirky. These are, as if you did not know by now, the definitions and origins of popular phrases, well worn cliches and colorful words by one of the worlds foremost translators of classic works and epic poetry, John Ciardi.

If you will indulge me a bit...it has everything including The
Kitchen Sink. Dig? In it, you can;

*Finally know what "You've got it all catwampus" really means.

*Learn that the longest palindromic word according to Webster
may well be "kinnikinnik", which is some kind of smoker's potpourri.

*Finally decipher stuff like when some politician spews "Nattering Nabobs of Negativity" or "Depends on what your definition of 'is' is" and know what the heck they are talking about.

*Know where "caught between Syclla and Charybdis" really is, who does the "Garrison Finish", and why "put the kibosh on" may be from Dickens era London streets.

It is right up my alley. I mean I am punch drunk with glee. And I'm not trying to be a Monday Morning quarterback, either. I love this book. This is Vol 1 of a series and I can't wait to get my hands on the later volumns. You are gonna dig the heck outta this!

I collect vocabulary books, and also John Ciardi books. He can do no wrong, anyway. and the subject matter coupled with his wit is irresistible. I also recommend Forgotten English by Jeffrey Kacirk, When A Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse by Olivia Isil, and Neo-Words by David Barnhart. But- Neo Words is probably already obsolete. I'm going to look for an update.