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Words from Hell: Unearthing the darkest secrets of English etymology Hardcover – October 31, 2023

by Jess Zafarris (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 70 ratings
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The English language is where words go to be tortured and mutilated into unrecognizable shadows of their former selves. It's where Latin, Greek, and Germanic roots are shredded apart and stitched unceremoniously back together with misunderstood snippets of languages snatched from the wreckage of conquest and colonialism. It wreaks merciless havoc upon grammar and spelling. It turns clinical terms into insults and children's tales into filthy euphemisms.

With an emphasis on understanding where the foulest words in the English language came from-and the disgusting and hilarious histories behind them-this book demonstrates the true filth of our everyday words. But this book is more than just a list of vulgar words and salacious slang. It's a thoughtful analysis of why we deem words as being inappropriate as well as revealing 'good words' that have surprisingly naughty origins.
 
Dirty-minded word nerds and lewd linguistics lovers will derive unadulterated pleasure in leering at the origins of swear words, sexual lingo, inappropriate idioms, violent vocabulary, and terminology for bodily functions-not to mention the unexpectedly foul origins of words you thought were perfectly innocent. If it's inappropriate, stomach-churning, uncomfortable, or offensive, this book reaches into the dark recesses of history and exposes them for all to see.

True to the Chambers brand, this book combines humor, scholarly research and a beautiful design. It is a book to enjoy, collect and revisit time and time again.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chambers
  4. Publication date
    October 31, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.47 x 1.26 x 8.07 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1399808206
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1399808200
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating examination of the origin of dirty words from a scholar of words and letters." -- Bob Eckstein, award-winning author, illustrator and New Yorker cartoonist

"I love etymology, and less Zafarris is the reigning queen of words. This book is spicy (lots of x-rated words here!), which I found fun and entertaining." — Jane K. Cleland

About the Author

Jess Zafarris is the author of Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids. She is also an award-winning innovator of digital content and marketing solutions and a prolific online and print journalist, having served as Audience Engagement Editor at Adweek and Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters. Before that, she served as Content Strategist and Digital Content Director for Writer's Digest and Script, and she still occasionally writes for WD. Her nine years of experience in digital and print content direction and marketing include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the The Hot Sheet, the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature (with minors in Arabic and Anthropology) from DePaul University and a master's degree in Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chambers (October 31, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1399808206
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1399808200
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.47 x 1.26 x 8.07 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 70 ratings

About the author

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Jess Zafarris

Jess Zafarris

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Jess Zafarris is the author of the etymology books 'Words from Hell' and 'Once Upon a Word: A Word-Origin Dictionary for Kids,' and an editor, journalist, content director, game and puzzle maker, and social media professional.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
70 global ratings
Great book for the inquisitive/curious type
5 Stars
Great book for the inquisitive/curious type
If you ever find yourself wondering, and subsequently looking up online, how a word got the meaning it has today, perhaps blackmail or sycophant, this is an incredible book. While I’ve had it less than 24hrs, it’s hard to put down.There’s so many interesting facts that go well beyond just “naughty words.” She also points this out both on the back cover, as well as at the end of the intro, this book is much more than a merely running list of “bad words.” And I really like that she gives “an excessively brief history” of English etymology, as it pertains to the book, in the introduction.So if you totally geek out over words, history, and the like, this is a great addition! It’ll definitely be on my coffee table for my guests to enjoy as well!
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Top reviews from the United States

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Is
5.0 out of 5 stars Un libro imperdible
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
¿Quieres saber de dónde vienen esas palabras que se usan ahora en el slang en el idioma inglés? Este es el libro. Con un lenguaje amable con el lector y muy divertido, te muestra la raíz de las palabras más necesarias para entender el inglés moderno.
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G
5.0 out of 5 stars Totally worth the $$
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024
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Only a few pages in and loving it.
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doc peterson
4.0 out of 5 stars For the love of swear words
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love to use strong language, much to the displeasure of my mother and the shock of those first meeting me, I am a true vulgarian (in spite of both education and profession.) Etymology also fascinates me, so a book devoted entirely to the origins and history of all manner of swear words delights me.

Zaffaris writes with a serious devotion to the subject as well as with a sense of humor, often light-heartedly joking with readers, striking just the right balance informing while not taking things too seriously as befits a book about impolite language. Beginning with George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on TV" Zaffaris moves on to write about blasphemy as well as epithets around race and gender. Where these words (as well as words that have long since fallen out of common usage) came from - and why they became offensive is as fascinating as it is delightfully naughty; it also says much about our collective sense of what is sacred and profane and the ways in which we have changed our attitudes about what is acceptable and what is "dirty."

Beyond the scurrilous, _Words from Hell_ is an absorbing read about how and why words DO matter.
4 people found this helpful
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Shawn Callaghan
5.0 out of 5 stars Hell of a Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
I don’t know some about the origin of words, but this caught my attention. After receiving it before the expected delivery date, I started reading it. A true eye opener! The words are broken into different chapters. This allows you to target a specific class of words (Example: violence, cursing, insults, etc) without having to read the entire book. If you do this, then you will be depriving yourself of the little slices of history and sordid humor the author spreads throughout the book. Not only does Jess give a breakdown of the word in question, but she shows related words from other languages. Where possible, she explains the origin of the word and how the word evolved to the current time. This is sometimes done with some colorful expletives. There is also a glossary at the end. For those aspiring linguists or English language experts, you might be surprised, entertained or both. A great read!
4 people found this helpful
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nvrdllmmnt27
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the inquisitive/curious type
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
If you ever find yourself wondering, and subsequently looking up online, how a word got the meaning it has today, perhaps blackmail or sycophant, this is an incredible book. While I’ve had it less than 24hrs, it’s hard to put down.

There’s so many interesting facts that go well beyond just “naughty words.” She also points this out both on the back cover, as well as at the end of the intro, this book is much more than a merely running list of “bad words.” And I really like that she gives “an excessively brief history” of English etymology, as it pertains to the book, in the introduction.

So if you totally geek out over words, history, and the like, this is a great addition! It’ll definitely be on my coffee table for my guests to enjoy as well!
Customer image
nvrdllmmnt27
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for the inquisitive/curious type
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2023
If you ever find yourself wondering, and subsequently looking up online, how a word got the meaning it has today, perhaps blackmail or sycophant, this is an incredible book. While I’ve had it less than 24hrs, it’s hard to put down.

There’s so many interesting facts that go well beyond just “naughty words.” She also points this out both on the back cover, as well as at the end of the intro, this book is much more than a merely running list of “bad words.” And I really like that she gives “an excessively brief history” of English etymology, as it pertains to the book, in the introduction.

So if you totally geek out over words, history, and the like, this is a great addition! It’ll definitely be on my coffee table for my guests to enjoy as well!
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6 people found this helpful
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Steve Pagano
1.0 out of 5 stars A good book spoiled by politics
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2024
Verified Purchase
I really wanted to like this book. I had found the author's Words Unravelled webcast and really liked it, so I went and bought her book immediately.

The first few chapters of the book are terrific, but after that the book is plagued by extreme far-left politics. This was often of the schoolmarmish sort: telling you why the word is bad (which is never needed) and telling you the "correct" term to use instead. There are not many people reading the book whose politics, agreeing, disagreeing, or indifferent to the author's, will find this necessary.

In the end I just couldn't finish the book. Things went quickly from skipping over a few entries to skipping entire chapters.
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rfachir
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Entemologies
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
This collection of stories about words may not be for everyone, but any who read grammar and dictionaries for fun should enjoy the short descriptions of the words which pack an extra punch. I really liked it. Not Urban Dictionary words, but every bit as entertaining
2 people found this helpful
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John Maihos
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed how Jess Zafarris kept the book so much fun. The inside scoop on some of the words was interesting. NICE WORK.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

B. Novak
5.0 out of 5 stars Less Hell than expected.
Reviewed in Germany on May 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
The world is going good direction, not so many hellish terminologies as expected. Yet interesting and nice book to have in my library.
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OzReader
4.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for word lovers
Reviewed in Australia on December 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
I'm a language lover and I really enjoy books on etymology, especially when well-presented. Jess Zafarris has provided a great book filled with word histories. Not all of it is taboo language as I initially thought. This book covers that well with chapters on the body, erotica and insults. But it also includes chapters on bias and bigotry and for ableism and mental health which are not ones I have seen in other similar texts. There are some pretty hellish words amongst these and it was good to see them acknowledged. Hellish in a slightly different way are chapters on drugs, crime, scandal, violence and the supernatural, to put it simply. . I found these really interesting to read and it was good to learn so much of the history behind these words. Some of the backgrounds are really quite surprising.

I rate this four solid stars and recommend this book for anyone interested in word histories, particularly those of the more hell-ish variety. Thank you to Netgalley and Chambers for giving me an advanced reader copy. I have provided this feedback under no obligation.
One person found this helpful
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