A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English [Paperback]

Anu Garg (Author), Stuti Garg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471230324 | ISBN-13: 978-0471230328 | Publication Date: October 11, 2002 | Edition: 1

"Anu Garg's many readers await their A Word A Day rations hungrily. Now at last here's a feast for them and other verbivores. Eat up!"
-Barbara Wallraff
Senior Editor at The Atlantic Monthly and author of Word Court

Praise for A Word a Day

"AWADies will be familiar with Anu Garg's refreshing approach to words: words are fun and they have fascinating histories. The people who use them have curious stories to tell too, and this collection incorporates some of the correspondence received by the editors at the AWAD site, from advice on how to outsmart your opponent in a duel (or even a truel) to a cluster of your favorite mondegreens."
-John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary

"A banquet of words! Feast and be nourished!"
-Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

Written by the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (www.wordsmith.org), this collection of unusual, obscure, and exotic English words will delight writers, scholars, crossword puzzlers, and word buffs of every ilk. The words are grouped in intriguing categories that range from "Portmanteaux" to "Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective." each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example-and many feature fascinating and hilarious commentaries by A Word A Day subscribers and the authors.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…Uncommon English words to enrich your vocabulary…”(India Today, 7 July 2003)

Review

"Anu and Stuti Garg?s many readers await their A Word A Day rations hungrily. Now at last here's a feast for them and other verbivores. Eat up!" —Barbara Wallraff, senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly and authors of Word Court

"AWADies will be familiar with Anu and Stuti Garg?s refreshing approach to words: words are fun and they have fascinating histories. The people who use them have curious stories to tell too, and this collection incorporates some of the correspondence received by the editors at the AWAD site, from advice on how to outsmart your opponent in a duel (or even a truel), to a cluster of your favorite mondegreens." —John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary

"A banquet of words! Feast and be nourished!" —Richard Lederer, author of The Miracle of Language

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471230324
• ISBN-13: 978-0471230328
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #195,393 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Art

More About the Author

Anu Garg is the founder of Wordsmith.org, a community of more than half-million readers in some 200 countries. He grew up in rural India. He learned the English language as a second language and moved to the US to study computer science in graduate school. He worked as a software engineer at a number of corporations including AT&T Labs. Eventually he gave up his career in software for the love of words and founded Wordsmith.org to spread the magic of words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A warning about the length..., January 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English (Paperback)

The reviewers I read echo my thoughts about this book -- I liked it a lot -- but they fail to warn how short it really is. There are 55 chapters, but most are 3 pages long, generously spaced, and the third page often has half or more of it as trailing blank space so the next chapter can start a new page. You can read it cover to cover in one sitting, so it's not much bang for the buck.

Buy the book, though. The quotations alone are worth the price, and Anu deserves some return for the AWAD website that he has provided free of charge for nearly 10 years. But the book would have been a much better value if it had been twice the length, which it could easily have been, given Anu's virtuosity.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Word A Day is a gift of love from the Garg family, November 14, 2002

By 

David Thomson "Second Rate Eric Hoffer Imitator" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English (Paperback)

Anu Garg dreams of a "society (that) will replace guns with dictionaries." This utopian hope is unfortunately not likely to ever occur. Nonetheless, the author of this "romp through some of the most unusual and intriguing words in English" is doing his utmost to make the world a better place. Many loyal subscribers have long been receiving his free daily "Wordsmith" e-mail that serves to expand our knowledge and understanding of the English language. Garg takes us along on a journey to explore a myriad collection of words that aid us in communicating with each other. Ever wondered what one should call a group of Pheasants? What about annus mirabilis? Anu Garg will gladly tell you. He will also explain the meaning of a clochard or a massif.

The English language is constantly evolving. Those who lived in the Middle Ages would be bewildered by the common tongue of today. Our democratic culture guarantees that English will never ossify and be under the control of an elite oligarchy. We will keep on adding more words and reinterpreting some in new ways previously thought not acceptable. Thus, Anu Garg will never be able to rest knowing that his task is finished. He has a job for life. The author thankfully possesses more than sufficient talent to handle these responsibilities. Almost certainly Garg's delightful wife Stuti and their wonderful five year old daughter Ananya will continue to offer their assistance. This is a fantastic book that should definitely grace your personal bookshelf. Moreover, it also makes a splendid gift for just about any occasion.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars makes a great gift for word lovers, November 25, 2002

By 

Yvonne Caruthers (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English (Paperback)

I'm a loyal fan of AWAD, so I knew what to expect from this book and wasn't disappointed. Each chapter has several odd words, with their histories and examples of how they can be used. But for me, the best part of Anu's writing is the selection of quotes that appear at the bottom of each page in small print. Anu Garg has more fun with words than just about anyone around. You can't read him for very long without picking up his enthusiasm. I hope all AWAD readers will get a copy of this as a gift for others--spread the word!