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

~ (Author), Joseph Epstein (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a fun and informative ... book that everyone who writes or talks should keep where it can be easily reached. -- Nancy Mehl, Myshelf.com, November 1, 2002

Dimwit's Dictionary and The Dictionary of Concise Writing...are two of the better usage books to come down the road. -- Zay Smith, Chicago Sun-Times, October 31, 2002

This book is a cure all (thank goodness that phrase is OK) for trite writing...We rated it five hearts. -- Bob Spear, Heartland Reviews, October 2002

Product Description

The Dimwit's Dictionary is a compendium of clichés and other overused words and phrases, and sharp alternatives to them. It is the ultimate tool for the writer who appreciates fresh writing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Marion Street Press, Inc.; 1st edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966517679
• ISBN-13: 978-0966517675
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #770,239 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're a dimwit if you don't get this dictionary, November 26, 2003

By	Michael Meanwell (Australia) - See all my reviews

'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

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be cover-to-cover reading, December 8, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

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.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes good reading, January 16, 2003

By	MARTINEAU ROBERT (Shizuoka shi, Shizuoka ken Japan) - See all my reviews

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.