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Bestselling and bargain books: Language, Vocabulary
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Dictionaries -> Language, Vocabulary
More Weird and Wonderful Words
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by:
McKean, Erin
Shanahan, Danny
Lederer, Richard
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Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Published: September 1, 2003
ISBN: 0195170571
Format:Hardcover
Pages:144
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Book Description
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.
Product Description:
Wouldn't you like to use proctomorph in
your everyday conversation--or at least feel as if you could? How about singerie? Or rememble? Following the smash hit Weird and Wonderful Words, editor Erin McKean has dug deeper into forgotten corners of the dictionary gathering both the most
spectacular old and the most impressive new words. The result is more than four hundred prime specimens (with pronunciations!), defined in a conversational style and perfect for adding to your own collection of favorites. Guaranteed to amuse and
astonish, accompanied by full-page illustrations by New Yorker cartoonist Danny Shanahan, these words will appeal to logophiles everywhere. In addtion to its wonderful offerings, the book also features a guide to finding new words, a guide to the best
word websites, and an annotated bibliography of essential Oxford dictionaries. More Weird and Wonderful Words: anopisthograph: something that has writing on only one side (usually paper, although you could pedantically use this for things like t-shirts
or billboards). Anopisthography is the practice of writing on only one side of something, a policy disdained by those who know how to make that 1->2 button on the copy machine work. (Opisthography is the practice of writing on both sides.) (from Greek
words that mean "written on the back or cover.") mesonoxian: of or related to midnight. "What are your mesonoxian plans?" sounds so much better on Dec. 31 than "Hey, whatcha doin' tonight?" ichoglan: a page waiting in the palace of the Sultan. (from
Turkish words that mean "interior" and "young man."). In this definition, 'waiting' obviously means 'serving,' but it's so much more poetic to understand it as 'to stay in expectation of.' What is he waiting FOR? Alas, the Sultan has fled, and we will
never know.
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