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The Dimwit's Dictionary: 5,000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them

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'Manglish' ~ the act of mangling the English language ~ is sadly alive and thriving in the world. And many writers aren't helping just adding to the growing trend of misspellings, tautologies and clichés as well as hackneyed metaphors, inane expressions and bloated or weak writing.

Fortunately, help is at hand. Robert Hartwell Fiscke has produced two powerful, literary weapons for protectors of the language ~ The Dimwit's Dictionary: 5000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them and The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases.

The key to good writing, according to Fiske who is also the author and publisher of The Vocabula Review (an online journal about the English language), is concise and precise writing ~ and that's just what he offers with these two excellent reference books.

At first glance, you may be offended by the Dimwit's title ~ what person would buy a book which suggests he or she is a dimwit? Well, after leafing through it, you'll know why you bought it and maybe even refer to some of your past efforts as dimwit. I know I did.

The 400-page book is divided into two parts. The first examines a wide range of examples of lazy and weak writing, showing scribes how to improve useage through better word choices and creativity with the language.

Part two is the dictionary portion of the volume. It offers literally an A to Z guide of thousands of overused words and phrases, and provides fresh alternatives.

As Fiske explains from the outset: "Dimwitticisms are worn-out words and phrases; they are expressions that dull our reason and dim our insight, formulas that we rely on when we are too lazy to express what we think or even to discover how we feel. The more we use them, the more we conform ~ in thought and feeling ~ to everyone else who uses them."

The book arranges dimwitticisms into a variety of categories which include:

* Foreign phrases
* Grammatical gimmicks
* Ineffectual phrases
* Inescapable pairs
* Infantile phrases
* Moribund metaphors
* Overworked words
* Plebeian sentiments
* Popular prescriptions
* Quack equations
* Suspect superlatives
* Torpid terms
* Withered words
* Wretched redundancies

Often entertaining and always enlightening, The Dimwit's Dictionary demystifies English usage, providing a simple-to-use guide on what words and phrases to avoid and how to adopt an exciting, original and succinct approach to your writing.

But don't be fooled by the title ~ this book is not only an excellent reference guide, it's also interesting enough to read cover to cover. Once you begin reading entries, you'll find it difficult to put down - seriously.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

The Dimwit's Dictionary by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Editor of the online journal about the English language: "Vocabula Review") is filled cover to cover with alternatives to over 5,000 tiresome cliche phrases. The entries are of two types. One type offers synonyms for cliche words and phrases, from "Achilles' heel" (foible, deficiency, etc.) to "you name it" (and so forth, and the like). The other type of entry identifies flawed and horribly overused verbal expressions, and categorizes them by type: "zillions" is an infantile phrase; "advice is cheap" is a quack equation; and "nipping at your heels" is a moribund metaphor. The value of this second type of entry is straightforward - if one is using any such phrase in their writing, then reaching for synonyms simply isn't enough; it's time to completely rework the expressed thought. Both types of entries are presented alongside one another in this alphabetized volume. Overall, The Dimwit's Dictionary is easy to use, and should be cover-to-cover reading (not simply used sporadically as a reference, but a page-by-page reading and explicit indoctrination in what phrases to avoid) for every neophyte writer who aspires to effective and memorable writing.

Somewhat self-righteous and pedantic at times, but highly pertinent on the whole. Actually makes very good reading. Mister Fiske seems to entertain a pet hate for foreign metaphors, French in particular, except when it suits him (portmanteau is coat-hanger in English).
Would definitely recommends it as a teaching reference at university level.
As a last word, Mister Fiske would do us a great favour by publishing all his works into one single book. References to other work(s) smacks of (concerted) mercantilism.

THE DIMWIT'S DICTIONARY is not exactly a kind book - it will shred every linguistic prop a writer is comfortable with & proud to know & use. Not that I'm proposing writers reinvent the way they write, I am, however, encouraging they use this dictionary to discover how hackneyed their writing might be. It is a litmus test to learn what separates the ho-hum from the memorable; the bland from the interesting.

Discover just how original, or not, is your writing. Learn about Ineffectual phrases, Moribund metaphors & Infantile phrases; Overworked words, Inescapable pairs & Torpid terms; Withered words, Wretched Redundancies & Egregious English; Quack equations, Foreign phrases, Grammatical gimmicks & much, much more!

THE DIMWIT'S DICTIONARY is an invaluable tool all writers need to have on their tool shelf, not to be taken too seriously or too much to heart, or brain, as is the case, as an author could get dreadfully pompous!

I am fond of both excellent books by Fiske. The Dictionary of Concise Writing has sharpened my awareness of unnecessary words. And although I have just received it, I can already see that The Dimwit's Dictionary may be just the book I have been looking for. I see two uses for the DD in my work. (1) I teach a communications course for adults in Beijing studying for an MBA degree. They have to write position papers in English and this book can give them more insights into word usage than a thesaurus alone. Also, (2) many Chinese living in the U.S. are stumped by the idioms in our language. For example, when I taught first in China in January 2002, no one knew the meaning of "thinking on your feet." Again, DD can help them understand these stale phrases by discovering fresh alternatives that say the same thing. Idioms keep cultures from communicating. I shall include both books in all my writing bibliographies from now on.

The title itself is more than just a little self-righteously pedantic, and the language used within often reflects the title. However, the contents are an excellent reference tool for anyone interested in sparking up their writing.

Cliché's, misplaced metaphors, and other identifications made by Fiske occur too often in published books. I personally use this (along with its relative companion, The Dictionary of Concise Writing) with regularity, and have caught myself more than once using language that could use some freshening up.

This delightfully clever though extremely helpful book opens with a section called `Dimwitticisms' - or in the case of Chapter One, `Expressions That Dull Our Reason and Dim Our Insight' - that immediately entices further perusing until the reader may realize they are reading every page, and though, while most of books of this type are to be thumbed through, this particular reader had trouble putting it down.
Topics' ranging from `Plebeian Sentiments' to `Wretched Redundancies' places this reference well beyond usual. Learning the difference between a moribund metaphor and an inescapable pair has never held such enjoyment. Impressively organized and detailed to the nth degree (sorry, I believe that was a moribund no-no), this compilation of wisdom is indispensable to lovers and writers of the English language. There is no word to describe... oops that was a plebeian sentiment, so let me rephrase that. The Dimwit's Dictionary is a great reference book. English majors and aspiring writers take note; you must have this on your reference shelf! You won't regret it.

This book taught me a valuable lesson because it reminded me of why I write at all...to touch others with my words and, hopefully, make an impression. This book inspired me to color my world with personal phrases, instead of just black and white cliches.

I didn't know what to expect before I received the book, but I was pleased to find that the book's format is exactly like a dictionary. It couldn't be easier to use, and though the author provides alternatives to overdone phrases, his suggestions sometimes trigger new thoughts. This book is a worthy addition to any writer's reference library.

"Whereas a witticism is a clever remark or phrase -- indeed, the height of expression -- a 'dimwitticism' is the converse; it is a commonplace remark or phrase. Dimwitticisms are worn-out words and phrases; they are expressions that dull our reason and dim our insight, formulas that we rely on when we are too lazy to express what we think or even to discover how we feel. The more we use them, the more we conform -- in thought and feeling -- to everyone else who uses them."

Actually, the book is better than good. Not only are there nearly 400 pages of cliches (or "dimwitticisms," as the author cleverly calls them) and, as in a thesaurus, synonyms for them, the two introductory chapters (Chapter 1, "Expressions That Dull Our Reason and Dim Our Insight," and Chapter, 2 "Writing That Demands to Be Read Aloud, Speech That Calls to Be Captured in Print") argue compellingly for "giving recognition to speech and writing that is beyond standard, or everyday, English -- to elegant English."

Elegant English, Fiske maintains, is the opposite of everyday, or dimwitted, English. "Elegant English is exhilarating; it stirs our thoughts and feelings as ably as dimwitted English blurs them."

Hey, I know, let's all become the pompous vocabulary police and take all the personality out of our writing! Tedious to read and filled with unimaginative alternatives to what the authors believe are overused phrases (but are pretty much every phrase you've ever heard - hackneyed or not), this book is helpful only if you want to write like this (taken from a passage where one of the authors defends his use of acerbic commentary in the book):

This pedagogy may strike some as unworkable, and perhaps its efficacy is suspect, but we surely know that other methods of tutelage are largely unsuccessful.

Sheesh! Look, I understand that clichés are overused, but suggesting I replace "raining cats and dogs" with "raining" doesn't improve the writing, it just makes it more boring.