Customer Reviews

Family Words: The Dictionary for People Who Don't Know a Frone from a Brinkle

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Although I've suspected that I might be wrong, I've always thought that my family was the only household that had its own lexicon of words and phrases to describe and refer to things both ordinary and unusual. Fearing that others might think that my folks and I were even more odd than we outwardly appeared to be, I kept it all to myself for a long time. But then along came "Family Words" by Paul Dickson.

Now I realize that there is a fascinating and funny world of "inside jargon" common to many people, and Mr. Dickson has tapped into it with his usual wit and intelligence.

Whether you come from a family like mine - where "family words" were almost a second language - or if you grew up sticking strictly to the "King's English" (or something at least reasonably close to it), this is a book that you can't help but enjoy, and I recommend it to anyone who is the least bit curious about this "secret garden" of language, or anyone with a sense of humor.

Within my family I'm known as "Grumpy." Not because I have an unpleasant disposition, but because the name slides off a todler's tongue with delightful irreverence and shocks the non-family member with the Hickman family negative-turn-positive use of a happy name.

Paul Dickson has captured the special spirit of family language. With three grandsons under four on the ground and another on the way my family has a fast growing need for its own language. "Nina," aka "Mrs. Grumpy" or Barbara feels the same way.

Grumpy (Bill) Hickman, Reston, Va

"Family Words: The Dictionary of the Secret Language of Families" is a delightful book that will amuse family members of all ages. Many of the entries will inspire readers to say, "But in our family, we called them ..." Some of the words are appropriate only within an individual family context, such as the Minnesota family members who referred to their grandmother as "99," because 99 percent of the time when the phone rang, it was her. But others could be useful to anyone, such as the family who uses the term "yesternight" for the evening portion of yesterday. One can tell from the tone and style of the book that the author truly loves language, which is one of the reasons this book is such an enjoyable read.

These words are fascinating! Reading the book is like being a fly on the wall in the kitchen of a fun, creative family. I already use a couple of them -- mudwaffles, which are the little chunks of mud that fall off kids' boots, and ootocks, a quicker way to say "shoes and socks." The stories behind many of the words are funny, too.

For years, Paul Dickson has been fascinated by words. But unlike most people, he's done something about it: He collects them. He gathers words the way a butterfly collector snares his prey: He captures the unusual, the archaic, the eosteric and even the madeup. And every once in a while he blesses us all with the fruit of his labor, a volume of words that is more than educational, it's pure entertainment, too. Such is the new "Family Words," Dickson's gift to the great American backbone, the family. Here you will find words that only a mother (also a brother, a sister and a father) would love and recognize. "Family Words" is as enjoyable as eavesdropping on your next-door neighbor, and as informative as well. And it's not just for wordnerds either!

Every family has its own special, private words, and Paul Dickson, the tireless collector of such things, has gathered hundreds (thousands?) of the most humorous, unusual, imaginative, goofiest and ingenius family words into this book. They get the reader to start thinking of his or her own family's "code words", and Paul Dickson would undoubtedly love to add them to his collection. The book makes a great gift for word-lovers.

Would you like a book that will inspire witty discussions around the dinner table? Some great conversations around the water cooler? Even a fun topic for a party! Family Words book brings back warm memories as I recall words that only OUR family would ever know what they could possibly mean. I think the highest form of praise for an author to give is this: I wish I had written this book!

I'm still laughing over "Burtie" (page 29) and doesn't everyone have a version of Clu Clu? (an imaginary scapegoat who gets blamed for not-so-commendable activities)
I can't imagine a better gift for yourself or for a friend or family member.
Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff

Everyone has at least a few little "family-isms" unique to their brood. Now readers can get an A to Z peek into the entertaining world of "family speak" thanks to Paul Dixon's Family Words: A Dictionary of the Secret Language of Families. From "Applaudience" (an audience that comes to applaud; specifically those composed of parents and grandparents at children's recitals) to "Zib" (the sound of an acetate tab being pulled from the tape on a disposable diaper), you'll discover funny, touching, useful words you might even start using in your family dialogue.

A GREAT, inexpensive gift for the upcoming holiday season!

I heard the author on a radio interview which was far more interesting than his book. I expected a book of unusual family expressions but found instead a mostly boring list of the uses of family names to describe behaviors and the common mispronounced words of toddlers.