Totally Weird and Wonderful Words
Totally Weird and Wonderful Words

Author: Erin McKean

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2006-10-23

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0199886032

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Do you know what a snollygoster is? Would you eat something called a muktuk? Do you know anyone who engages in onolatry? Impress your friends and pepper your dinner party conversations with such nuggets as gobemouche, mumpsimus, and cachinnate. You can learn about all of these bizarre and beautiful words and many more in Totally Weird and Wonderful Words. Offering a potpourri of colorful and fascinating words compiled by noted lexicographer Erin McKean, it contains hundreds of definitions, and has been updated to include two new essays, with over 150 words new to this edition. Written in a clear and conversational style, the book contains full-page cartoon illustrations by Roz Chast and Danny Shanahan. Featuring hundreds of words guaranteed to amuse and astonish, this is a book that will appeal to logophiles everywhere. It also features a bibliography of Oxford's dictionaries and a guide to creating your own unusual words correctly from Greek and Latin roots.

The Logodaedalian's Dictionary of Interesting and Unusual Words
The Logodaedalian's Dictionary of Interesting and Unusual Words

Author: George Stone Saussy

Publisher:

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13:

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Reprint of the 1984 Oxter English Dictionary, with a substantial appendix of newer words. Literary words are defined and used in context from the fiction of best-selling and less-selling writers published from 1945 to the present. Over 1300 words are defined using examples from 200 novels by 90 authors. No pronunciation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Weird Words
Weird Words

Author: Thalia Quayle

Publisher: Publifye AS

Published: 2024-10-03

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 8233932000

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""Weird Words"" takes readers on a captivating journey through the peculiarities of the English language, exploring etymology, linguistic anomalies, and language evolution. This engaging book delves into the origins of words, grammar quirks, and the fascinating ways language changes over time, offering readers a deeper appreciation for the complexity of English. From contronyms (words that are their own opposites) to ghost words (created by printing errors), the book showcases the rich tapestry of linguistic oddities that shape our communication. At its core, ""Weird Words"" argues that these apparent inconsistencies are not mere obstacles but windows into human culture and history. The book progresses from fundamental language concepts to specific categories of weird words, culminating in an examination of how these peculiarities influence modern communication. Drawing on historical documents, etymological studies, and corpus linguistics, it presents a blend of scholarly insight and accessible explanations. What sets this book apart is its innovative approach, combining storytelling, humor, and interactive elements like ""Word Wizard"" challenges. By balancing academic rigor with a conversational tone, ""Weird Words"" appeals to a wide audience, from language enthusiasts to professionals seeking to enhance their communication skills. It transforms seemingly useless quirks into a celebration of language, inviting readers to embrace the weird and become more conscious, creative users of English.

More Weird and Wonderful Words
More Weird and Wonderful Words

Author: Erin McKean

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 9780195170573

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This title digs deep into forgotten corners of the dictionary, gathering both the most spectacular old and the most impressive new words. The result is more than 400 prime specimens with pronunciations, defined in a conversational style.

Other-Wordly
Other-Wordly

Author: Yee-Lum Mak

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Published: 2016-10-11

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 1452163111

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Discover words to surprise, delight, and enamor. Learn terms for the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees, for dancing awkwardly but with relish, and for the look shared by two people who each wish the other would speak first. Other-Wordly is an irresistible ebook for lovers of words and those lost for words alike.

Weird and Wonderful Words
Weird and Wonderful Words

Author: Erin McKean

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 146

ISBN-13: 0195159055

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Lists the meaning of hundreds of bizarre and unusual words and includes a guide to coining new words.

Absurd Words
Absurd Words

Author: Tara Lazar

Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.

Published: 2022-01-02

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 1728241197

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Why use boring old words when you can expand and build your vocabulary—and have fun doing it! A user-friendly, engaging book about the power of words—perfect for educators, parents, and future word nerds. Build confidence and become a stronger reader, writer, and communicator! This fun and hilarious vocabulary builder: Includes over 750 high-level, wondrous, and wacky words! With sample sentences and word history that help new words make sense! Bright and fun illustrations make learning new words fun! Allows to search by category so new word choices are easy to find! Kids with strong vocabularies are better readers, better writers, and even feel more confident tackling math and science. When a kid wants to learn a new word, we often send them to the dictionary or a thesaurus. But dictionaries only work if you know exactly the word you want. This dictionary-thesaurus hybrid is organized by theme and puts words in context with fun, engaging and hilarious sentences, pictures, and fun facts. You'll learn what words mean and then actually use them!

The Indispensable Dictionary of Unusual Words
The Indispensable Dictionary of Unusual Words

Author: Josefa Heifetz Byrne

Publisher: Skyhorse

Published: 2012-07-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9781616086503

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From aasvogel (the South African vulture) to knurry (full of knots), from melangeur (a machine for making chocolate syrup) to zumbooruk (a small cannon fired from the back of a camel), the words in this book are guaranteed to expand your vocabulary and confound your friends. They may be obscure and even preposterous, but every entry in this eye-opening book has been accepted as a formal or legitimate English word by at least one major dictionary. This dictionary does not claim or attempt to be complete. It is based completely on the editor’s sense of wonder and absurdity. It is educational, yes, but also more fun than any dictionary has a right to be!

Numerical Notation
Numerical Notation

Author: Stephen Chrisomalis

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2010-01-18

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0521878187

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This book is a cross-cultural reference volume of all attested numerical notation systems, encompassing more than 100 such systems used over the past 5,500 years. Using a typology that defies unilinear evolutionary models, Stephen Chrisomalis identifies five basic types of numerical notation systems, tracks relationships between systems, and creates a general model of change that incorporates social, historical, and cognitive factors.