What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original) [Paperback]

Charles Harrington Elster (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harvest Original | Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Are you so sure about "assure," "ensure," and "insure" ? Can you determine whether a knob of butter is equivalent to a lump or a pat or a scosh? Can you say which word in the English language has the most definitions, or who put the H in Jesus H. Christ?

If you can't, be assured that Charles Harrington Elster, author of several well-loved works on language, can-and does in his latest book, a delightfully designed compendium of the most common, interesting, and entertaining conundrums in our language. Drawing upon esoteric sources and his own inimitable expertise, Elster uses a lively question-and-answer format to cover a variety of topics-word and phrase origins, slang, style, usage, punctuation, and pronunciation. Every chapter features original brainteasers, challenging puzzles, and a trove of literary trivia.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Each chapter of this enjoyable book features original brainteasers, challenging puzzles, and a trove of literary trivia. Readers will glean the meaning behind pushing the envelope and be informed that the phrase happy as a clam is an abbreviation of the simile happy as a clam at high tide. Those looking for that perfect word to describe something unique will find it here. Elster uses a lively question-and-answer format to cover a variety of topics–word and phrase origins, slang, style, usage, punctuation, and pronunciation. Without an index, this volume is not an ideal reference work, but it makes for good casual reading.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Elster is a contributor to the "On Language" column of the New York Times Magazine and the author of several books on language, including The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations (1999). Here he uses a question-and-answer format to tackle common language issues and makes the whole enterprise entertaining as well as informative. The book is divided into seven chapters, beginning with "Once upon a Word," in which he explains the origins of colorful expressions, and ending with "The Wonder of Words," in which he fields fun questions about wordplay and word lore. In between, Elster offers chapters on errors, missing words ("What's the word to describe when inanimate objects conspire against you?" Resistenialism), how to polish language, pronunciation advice, and American slang. He also sprinkles his chapters with word quizzes he calls "Bodacious Brainteasers," includes marginal notations containing interesting language facts, and provides sidebars on swearing, cockney slang, and literary quips, jibes, and jabs, among other topics. Fun reading for verbo-maniacs. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156031973
• ISBN-13: 978-0156031974
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles Harrington Elster is a writer, broadcaster, and logophile--a lover of words.

He is the author of the popular vocabulary-building program "Verbal Advantage." His other books include "Tooth and Nail" and "Test of Time," vocabulary-building novels for high school students preparing to take the college entrance exams; "There's a Word for It," a lighthearted look at unusual--and unusually useful--words; "What in the Word?" a salmagundi of word lore, wordplay, and advice on usage and pronunciation; and "The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations," now in its second edition, which the late William Safire of The New York Times hailed as "the best survey of the spoken field in years."

Charlie's latest book, "The Accidents of Style: Good Advice on How Not to Write Badly," was published in July 2010 by St. Martin's Griffin. He is currently writing a vocabulary-building companion to "Verbal Advantage" called "Word Workout."

Charlie was a consultant for "Garner's Modern American Usage." He is the pronunciation editor of "Black's Law Dictionary" and The Orthoepist (pronunciation expert) for Wordnik.com, an online dictionary project. He has been a guest contributor to the "On Language" column of The New York Times Magazine, and his articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and other publications.

Charlie has also been talking about language on the radio since 1985. He has been interviewed on NPR's "Talk of the Nation," "Weekend Edition," and "All Things Considered" and been a guest on hundreds of radio shows around the country. For five and a half years he cohosted a weekly public radio talk show on language called "A Way with Words."

Charlie was born in New York City in 1957 and earned his B.A. cum laude from Yale in 1981. He lives in San Diego with his wife and two daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read!, December 21, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original) (Paperback)

A man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
-- Mark Twain

Just when I thought I was kind of savvy about word usage, What in the Word proved me wrong on almost every page.

Did you know that "manuscript" means "written by hand"?

If I only read the quotes, Bodacious Brainteasers, Fascinating Facts and great sidebars, this book would have been worth my time. But I read more.

This is an excellent book if you are simply interested in the English language, are a teacher or a writer, or like me, also edit. Boy, the author didn't miss a thing.

Have you wondered about the difference between and correct usage of:
-- lectern and podium
-- celibate and chast
-- bi-monthly and bi-weekly
-- lay and lie (I hate this one)
-- people and person
-- may and might
He details those and ton more in the 262 pages.

Here's some clarity the author wants to share:

1. Whether or not: Or not can be used but it is redundant.
2. You can begin a sentence with and or but. Whew, good to know.
3. J.D. (stands for Jurius Doctor) is the only correct initial to refer to a lawyer. (Don't even go there!)
4. To remember to use fewer or less, he explains that fewer is something you can count whereas less is...well, my training partner Kären and I use this well-worn beer commercial to explain: "Fewer calories, less filling." You can count the fewer calories (number), and it's always plural, but the less is a degree or amount and is singular.
5. I could care less/I couldn't care less. The first version is sarcastic; the second correct.

The author answers questions about words I never knew I didn't know, but it was very interesting. Lot of it is "what's a word for....?" That includes all kinds of weird things you'll likely never use, but it was fun nonetheless.

Armchair Interviews says: What in the Word is fun to read while you learn new things and clear up some old word myths.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! A wordplay book that transcends the standard trivia genre, December 24, 2005

By 

Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original) (Paperback)

Elster has delivered an eloquent, fun to read, and informational book about the English language. The format of the book is what makes it really stand out. The basic element is a Q&A format, broken into chapters on specific subjects. Sidebars include Fascinating Facts, Bodacious Brainteasers (quizzes), Quotes, and Sound Bites (details on pronunciation), and other information such as synonyms for drunkards, unfortunate eponyms, and cockney rhyming slang. The book has a comprehensive index and list of works cited.

This is a must-have for any language lover or grammar fiend. It's a book that can be devoured in one sitting or savored piece by piece in a fact-of-the-day format. Enjoy!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great bathroom reading. And I mean it in a nice way!, December 12, 2005

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original) (Paperback)

Each essay in this book discusses one minor point of vocabulary or word usage. Most of them are only about a page long. They're entertaining and educational, though you don't get the sense of the deep scholarship in etymology behind, say, Michael Quinion's "weird words" or "turns of phrase."

If I was REALLY serious about the usage of the word "skosh" I'm sure I'd look elsewhere, but this book serves my word-a-day entertainment need. It also gives me a few fun facts, such as a three-page list of unfortunate eponyms (such as "martinet," which is the legacy of General Jean Martinet -- whose harsh discipline led him to be "accidentally" killed by his troops during a battle).

Fun book. You'll like it.