by Erin McKean
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by Erin McKean
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A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English by Anu Garg |
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Lexicographer McKean, editor of Verbatim magazine, has combed the Oxford English Dictionary to come up with more than 400 choice items for this amusing dictionary of rarely used words. Perhaps you've recently been guilty of acrasia ("the state of mind in which you act against your better judgment"). Perhaps you need a new synonym for "slut": Drazel will do quite nicely. Or perhaps you've been offended but are willing to offer the guilty party ignoscency ("forgiveness"). You may never find a reason to use the word "dromaeognathous" ("having a palate like that of an emu"), but just encountering it here could brighten your day. New Yorker cartoonist Shanahan adds a touch of whimsy to the enterprise with his comic illustrations. Lighthearted and instructive, this small volume would make a good gift book for eccentric wordsmiths or grammarians.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"McKean, senior editor for the Oxford University Press North American Dictionary Project, has gleaned some fascinating words for our enjoyment....A welcome addition."--Library Journal
Lexicographer McKean, editor of Verbatim magazine, has combed the Oxford English Dictionary to come up with more than 400 choice items for this amusing dictionary of rarely used words. Perhaps youve recently been guilty of acrasia ("the state of mind in which you act against your better judgment"). Perhaps you need a new synonym for "slut": Drazel will do quite nicely. Or perhaps youve been offended but are willing to offer the guilty party ignoscency ("forgiveness"). You may never find a reason to use the word "dromaeognathous" ("having a palate like that of an emu"), but just encountering it here could brighten your day. New Yorker cartoonist Shanahan adds a touch of whimsy to the enterprise with his comic illustrations. Lighthearted and instructive, this small volume would make a good gift book for eccentric wordsmiths or grammarians.--PublishersWeekly.com
"As everyone knows, the words marked obsolete or archaic in unabridged dictionaries are the best words of all. In More Weird and Wonderful Words (Oxford Univ., $16.95), edited by Erin McKean, with illustrations by Danny Shanahan, the dazzled reader will learn that 'bloncket' means 'gray, or a light grayish blue' and 'infrendiate' to 'gnash the teeth' and 'discerp' to 'tear something to shreds.' This is clearly the ideal resource when feeling a certain 'delassation' (i.e., fatigue) with the plain, homespun language of everyday life. Besides isn't it good to know that a 'musophobist' is 'a person who regards poetry with suspicious dislike' and a 'rhyparographer' a 'painter of unpleasant or sordid subjects'?"--Washington Post Book World
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover
Citations
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3
books
cite this book:
- What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original) by Charles Harrington Elster on page 104, and Back Matter
- Word Wizard: Super Bloopers, Rich Reflections, and Other Acts of Word Magic by Richard Lederer in Front Matter
- Word Fugitives: In Pursuit of Wanted Words by Barbara Wallraff in Back Matter
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