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Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language
The Horologicon (or book of hours) gives you the most extraordinary words in the English language, arranged according to the hour of the day when you really need them.
Do you wake up feeling rough? Then you’re philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling, which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after lunch, though by dinner time you will have become a sparkling deipnosophist.
From Mark Forsyth, author of the bestselling The Etymologicon, this is a book of weird words for familiar situations. From ante-jentacular to snudge by way of quafftide and wamblecropt, at last you can say, with utter accuracy, exactly what you mean.
Do you wake up feeling rough? Then you’re philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling, which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after lunch, though by dinner time you will have become a sparkling deipnosophist.
From Mark Forsyth, author of the bestselling The Etymologicon, this is a book of weird words for familiar situations. From ante-jentacular to snudge by way of quafftide and wamblecropt, at last you can say, with utter accuracy, exactly what you mean.
286 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
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About the author
Mark Forsyth
21 books910 followersMark Forsyth is a writer, journalist and blogger. Every job he’s ever had, whether as a ghost-writer or proof-reader or copy-writer, has been to do with words. He started The Inky Fool blog in 2009 and now writes a post almost every day. The blog has received worldwide attention and enjoys an average of 4,000 hits per week.
Mr. Forsyth currently resides in London.
Mr. Forsyth currently resides in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
August 27, 2023
Fertilising One’s Speech
If French is the language of diplomacy because of its precision, English must be the language of the farmyard because of its fecundity. English takes it where it can get it and isn’t afraid to call a spade a ‘feague’ stick (for inserting eels into a horse’s bottom) or a simultaneous fart and cough a ‘through cough’. This also has the effect of increasing the efficiency of communication by reducing the number of words necessary to describe many otherwise arcane phenomena.
English is as deep as the topsoil of Iowa and as equally fertile. It seems to never lose what has been deposited in its vicinity, which slowly composts. So ‘pogoniasis’, the beard on a lady; and aristology, the study of breakfast, are a residue of Greek and lie in wait to be re-discovered. And a ‘chota hazri’, a little breakfast or elevenses, is a graft from Hindi to the Raj and hence to the Home Counties. But in East London one might refer instead to a ‘Spitalfields breakfast’ which consists rather of a tight necktie and a stout pipe. Even the Shoshone Indians of North America gave left their mark with the somewhat Greek-sounding but false friend‘pogonip’, a fog so cold that ice crystals form in the air.
Consequently, English proliferates, evolves, and takes over new ground, returning to the homeland with renewed vigour. A ‘bumbershoot’ is an American replacement for an umbrella; as is ‘scream sheet’ for newspaper. Both much more descriptive than the originals. To dig transforms itself from a term of manual labour to one of aesthetic appreciation, and ultimately to the highest praise “That’s shovel city, man!” Thus simultaneously erasing gender differences long before LGBT was normalised.
Forsyth has a genius for making archaic and strange vocabulary not just enjoyable but even fashionable. He writes with wit and humour. But he also accomplishes something important, the generation of respect for language as a living thing. No part of it ever completely dies. Even if words go out of use, they lie there dormant in not quite forgotten dictionaries waiting for someone like Forsyth to trip over them and repot them in the Great Global Garden of English.
The book also will defeat any spellchecker better than a novel by John Banville.
If French is the language of diplomacy because of its precision, English must be the language of the farmyard because of its fecundity. English takes it where it can get it and isn’t afraid to call a spade a ‘feague’ stick (for inserting eels into a horse’s bottom) or a simultaneous fart and cough a ‘through cough’. This also has the effect of increasing the efficiency of communication by reducing the number of words necessary to describe many otherwise arcane phenomena.
English is as deep as the topsoil of Iowa and as equally fertile. It seems to never lose what has been deposited in its vicinity, which slowly composts. So ‘pogoniasis’, the beard on a lady; and aristology, the study of breakfast, are a residue of Greek and lie in wait to be re-discovered. And a ‘chota hazri’, a little breakfast or elevenses, is a graft from Hindi to the Raj and hence to the Home Counties. But in East London one might refer instead to a ‘Spitalfields breakfast’ which consists rather of a tight necktie and a stout pipe. Even the Shoshone Indians of North America gave left their mark with the somewhat Greek-sounding but false friend‘pogonip’, a fog so cold that ice crystals form in the air.
Consequently, English proliferates, evolves, and takes over new ground, returning to the homeland with renewed vigour. A ‘bumbershoot’ is an American replacement for an umbrella; as is ‘scream sheet’ for newspaper. Both much more descriptive than the originals. To dig transforms itself from a term of manual labour to one of aesthetic appreciation, and ultimately to the highest praise “That’s shovel city, man!” Thus simultaneously erasing gender differences long before LGBT was normalised.
Forsyth has a genius for making archaic and strange vocabulary not just enjoyable but even fashionable. He writes with wit and humour. But he also accomplishes something important, the generation of respect for language as a living thing. No part of it ever completely dies. Even if words go out of use, they lie there dormant in not quite forgotten dictionaries waiting for someone like Forsyth to trip over them and repot them in the Great Global Garden of English.
The book also will defeat any spellchecker better than a novel by John Banville.
July 10, 2020
This fun and funny short book by word expert Mark Forsyth takes us on a day's tour of unusual and obsolete words. And there are plenty such words, each one stranger than the one before it. If you wake up with a ghastly pimple you've been confronted with a pimginnit, a frightful Seventeenth-Century word. For the bath, the thrifty Scots have given us duffife, which means to turn something on its side (a shampoo bottle, say) to get the last few drops out.
Is your train to work overcrowded? Then it's thringed. At work, there's a name for the rumble a teakettle makes right before it comes to a full boil: thrumble. Better hope you'll get tea at the office; a meeting without privileges at all is a meeting without coffee, a World War Two holdover. Office workers who stay on top of things while feigning effortlessness are indulging in sprezzatura; while those who try to squeeze a full day's work into the final hour are guilty of entertaining a fit of the clevers. After hours, you might want to pop by your favorite pub and peek inside to see if anyone would stand you a drink. That would make you a snecklifter.
This enjoyable book can be read on its own or in conjunction with Forsyth's other two best-sellers: THE ETYMOLOGICON and THE ELEMENTS OF ELOQUENCE.
Is your train to work overcrowded? Then it's thringed. At work, there's a name for the rumble a teakettle makes right before it comes to a full boil: thrumble. Better hope you'll get tea at the office; a meeting without privileges at all is a meeting without coffee, a World War Two holdover. Office workers who stay on top of things while feigning effortlessness are indulging in sprezzatura; while those who try to squeeze a full day's work into the final hour are guilty of entertaining a fit of the clevers. After hours, you might want to pop by your favorite pub and peek inside to see if anyone would stand you a drink. That would make you a snecklifter.
This enjoyable book can be read on its own or in conjunction with Forsyth's other two best-sellers: THE ETYMOLOGICON and THE ELEMENTS OF ELOQUENCE.
November 2, 2015
Mr Forsyth does it again. If you liked the
Etymologicon
, or you're just the kind of person who likes tons of out of use or foreign words for everyday things, liberally sprinkled with dry British wit and jokes about being drunk or going to the toilet, then this is the book for you.
Whereas the Etymologicon was a roundabout trip through a sequence of words, each one linking to the next. This is the Horologicon: the book of hours. Each chapter is dedicated to an hour in the life of the mythical, idealised, reader – from the crack of dawn at 6am, through to finally falling asleep at midnight. And, each chapter provides an array of useful words to meet any potential occasion in that hour. Forsyth isn't quite sure if the reader is a man or a woman, single or married, etc. so he tries to cover as many bases as possible. Especially a number of the baser bases – there's an entire appendix of words and phrases to describe being drunk for example.
The book's advice is to not read it cover to cover, but instead to treat it as a reference work and read only the chapter relevant to the hour of the day that you find yourself in, and there are some strong warnings as to what might befall the brave reader who ignores the warning. But, in the interest of science, this review, my reading challenge target, and the fact that I was loving it I read on fearlessly. So far there have been no suicides, or gun rampages and only a little crazed nudity.
The only real problem I ever have with books of this nature is having read through laughing, and willing myself to remember the words I like the most, I generally find myself just about remembering that there was a word for the situation I find myself in, and that it was hilarious, but not a hint as to what the word was. The only one which has stuck with me though is: Dysania – an extreme difficulty in waking up and getting out of bed. It's a proper medical condition, not just laziness!
Whereas the Etymologicon was a roundabout trip through a sequence of words, each one linking to the next. This is the Horologicon: the book of hours. Each chapter is dedicated to an hour in the life of the mythical, idealised, reader – from the crack of dawn at 6am, through to finally falling asleep at midnight. And, each chapter provides an array of useful words to meet any potential occasion in that hour. Forsyth isn't quite sure if the reader is a man or a woman, single or married, etc. so he tries to cover as many bases as possible. Especially a number of the baser bases – there's an entire appendix of words and phrases to describe being drunk for example.
The book's advice is to not read it cover to cover, but instead to treat it as a reference work and read only the chapter relevant to the hour of the day that you find yourself in, and there are some strong warnings as to what might befall the brave reader who ignores the warning. But, in the interest of science, this review, my reading challenge target, and the fact that I was loving it I read on fearlessly. So far there have been no suicides, or gun rampages and only a little crazed nudity.
The only real problem I ever have with books of this nature is having read through laughing, and willing myself to remember the words I like the most, I generally find myself just about remembering that there was a word for the situation I find myself in, and that it was hilarious, but not a hint as to what the word was. The only one which has stuck with me though is: Dysania – an extreme difficulty in waking up and getting out of bed. It's a proper medical condition, not just laziness!
February 14, 2020
Having read the author's other book, The Etymologicon, I was quite disappointed by this. Its structure didn't quite work for me, and passages of it were a bit dull.
July 30, 2017
Author, Mark Forsyth, warns readers against consuming The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language start-to-finish, cautioning that:
I love words: learning about them, using them, reading them— and, though this wasn't my favorite volume of lexicographic delight, there are some real gems in there. Since I’m short on time, I’ll just give you three terms that I hope to see (hear?) resurrected within my lifetime— they certainly seem relevant these days...
If you do, Hell itself will hold no horrors for you, and neither the author nor his parent company will accept liability for any suicides, gun rampages or crazed nudity that may result.However, given that the words are organized by hour of the day (hence the title), as opposed to alphabetically, this should be taken with a grain of salt. [I read it through, and I'm fine…ish]
I love words: learning about them, using them, reading them— and, though this wasn't my favorite volume of lexicographic delight, there are some real gems in there. Since I’m short on time, I’ll just give you three terms that I hope to see (hear?) resurrected within my lifetime— they certainly seem relevant these days...
Paralipsis is the practice of mentioning that you’re not mentioning something, and saying what you’re not saying (p. 234).
The technical term for a dishonest politician is a snollygoster. Well, all right, it may not be the technical term, but it is the best one. The OED defines snollygoster as ‘A shrewd, unprincipled person, esp. a politician’ (p. 9).
Ultracrepidarianism is ‘giving opinions on subjects that you know nothing about’, and is thus a terribly useful word (p. 59).
October 21, 2025
Language is dynamic, changing all the time. We are all familiar with new words which enter as slang, neologisms, or borrowings from other languages, but we rarely note when words disappear. They have usually been in decline for a long time before they finally die out. When did you last hear someone say fainéant or contrariwise? It goes for grammar as well, of course. When I used the subjunctive in a meeting, saying, “If it were my plan,” one of the people around the table laughed and said, “You mean, if it was your plan. Spik gud Eenglich.” I sighed and shook my head.
For those who love unusual words Horologicon is a lot of fun, and someone should start a campaign to bring a few of them back. It’s not just children who rogitate (ask the same thing again and again), but also plenty of people who want budgets for their pet projects, and it is not uncommon to encounter co-workers snudging at the office (walking around pretending to be busy while in fact doing nothing). More often they are just ploitering (pretending to work) which today usually means spending time on the internet looking at sports or shopping sites when they should be doing something productive.
At the end of the day they decide to go out to a local watering hole, because it is quafftide (time for drinking). After a few rounds they are beginning to be zwoddered (a drowsy or stupid state of mind), and happily indulge in ultracrepidarianism* (giving their opinions on things they know nothing about). Someone needs to act as a designated driver in case one of them becomes drunk as a wheelbarrow, which nicely conveys a sense of wobbling, and is an improvement on a phrase I heard recently (not in the book), commode-hugging drunk.
If you pass on drinks with co-workers and go home to find that supper is meatloaf – again?, what’s with all the meatloaf? You can pingle (eat a bit with little appetite), and of course your dog will be groking by your side (staring at someone who is eating, hoping they will give you some of their food). On the other hand, if you are delighted by your supper (“Meatloaf again? Alright!”) you must be sure not to eat too much and be wamblecropt (have indigestion), which you know is coming on once your stomach starts wambling (rumbling). If it gets too bad and you find yourself in need of immediate relief you can tell your family you need to take a voyage to the Spice Islands as you rush off to the toilet. When you return you can thank your osculable (kissable) mate for the fine meal.
The book is full of delightful words that make you wonder why they fell by the wayside. For instance, we all know of ubiquitous, but who has ever heard its antonym, nullibiquitous, meaning to exist nowhere, and we definitely need to revive snollygoster (a corrupt or dishonest politician), whose sound alone conveys the appropriate amount of contempt. I myself have been known to gongoozle, idly watching boats out on the bay. And, instead of asking why some people believe everything they read on the internet, we should just say they are pixilated (not the same as pixelated), or led astray by pixies. Maybe those internet trolls would be less inclined to spread disinformation if we started referring to them as pixies.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and found something to smile about on almost every page. The next time I see Dan striding down the hallway, clipboard in hand, pretending to be busy, I will call out, “Snudging again?” and he is sure to reply “You bet!”
* the root word is crepida, Latin for shoe or sandal. Ultracrepidarian is an allusion to an incident in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History ( AD 77). According to Pliny a shoemaker criticized a painting by Apelles of Kos, to which the painter replied ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret (the cobbler should not judge beyond his shoe).
For those who love unusual words Horologicon is a lot of fun, and someone should start a campaign to bring a few of them back. It’s not just children who rogitate (ask the same thing again and again), but also plenty of people who want budgets for their pet projects, and it is not uncommon to encounter co-workers snudging at the office (walking around pretending to be busy while in fact doing nothing). More often they are just ploitering (pretending to work) which today usually means spending time on the internet looking at sports or shopping sites when they should be doing something productive.
At the end of the day they decide to go out to a local watering hole, because it is quafftide (time for drinking). After a few rounds they are beginning to be zwoddered (a drowsy or stupid state of mind), and happily indulge in ultracrepidarianism* (giving their opinions on things they know nothing about). Someone needs to act as a designated driver in case one of them becomes drunk as a wheelbarrow, which nicely conveys a sense of wobbling, and is an improvement on a phrase I heard recently (not in the book), commode-hugging drunk.
If you pass on drinks with co-workers and go home to find that supper is meatloaf – again?, what’s with all the meatloaf? You can pingle (eat a bit with little appetite), and of course your dog will be groking by your side (staring at someone who is eating, hoping they will give you some of their food). On the other hand, if you are delighted by your supper (“Meatloaf again? Alright!”) you must be sure not to eat too much and be wamblecropt (have indigestion), which you know is coming on once your stomach starts wambling (rumbling). If it gets too bad and you find yourself in need of immediate relief you can tell your family you need to take a voyage to the Spice Islands as you rush off to the toilet. When you return you can thank your osculable (kissable) mate for the fine meal.
The book is full of delightful words that make you wonder why they fell by the wayside. For instance, we all know of ubiquitous, but who has ever heard its antonym, nullibiquitous, meaning to exist nowhere, and we definitely need to revive snollygoster (a corrupt or dishonest politician), whose sound alone conveys the appropriate amount of contempt. I myself have been known to gongoozle, idly watching boats out on the bay. And, instead of asking why some people believe everything they read on the internet, we should just say they are pixilated (not the same as pixelated), or led astray by pixies. Maybe those internet trolls would be less inclined to spread disinformation if we started referring to them as pixies.
I had a lot of fun reading this book, and found something to smile about on almost every page. The next time I see Dan striding down the hallway, clipboard in hand, pretending to be busy, I will call out, “Snudging again?” and he is sure to reply “You bet!”
* the root word is crepida, Latin for shoe or sandal. Ultracrepidarian is an allusion to an incident in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History ( AD 77). According to Pliny a shoemaker criticized a painting by Apelles of Kos, to which the painter replied ne supra crepidam sutor iudicaret (the cobbler should not judge beyond his shoe).
April 1, 2021
Originally published over at my blog, The Grimoire Reliquary! Also, I've got a YouTube channel where I talk about books and stuff, give it a gander at the link below?
Mark Forsyth’s non-fiction books are a treat. Erudite jaunts through the origins of the English language, every one of Forsyth’s works has been accompanied with hours of laughter, and The Horologicon: A Day’s Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language is no different. It doesn’t quite measure up to my memory of The Elements of Eloquence but it’s a different book, one attempting to unearth to lost and forgotten words in the English language, many of which are beyond specific; little wonder they’ve gone out of vogue. That said, more than a few of the words and expressions Forsyth drags back from obscurity are of semantic value–it’s a shame that know-it-alls are no longer defined as ultracrepidarian (“presumptuous, offering advice or opinions beyond one’s sphere of knowledge”), or that vampires nowadays aren’t called out for being lucifigus!
Forsyth here makes certain that you’ve got a word for every hour of the day, and for nearly every occasion. With careful study of the lexicong for each and every hour of the day, you might even master the art of sprezzatura, or “studied carelessness,” which Forsyth himself exhibits with such apparent effortlessness, clever chap that he is. The connective tissue from one word to the next is not quite as tight as it is in those wonderful interconnected musings on all manner of words in the Etymologicon, but the same humour is at display, and that’s what Not a moment of dullness was had in my listening of the audiobook, voiced by the very talented Simon Shepherd. Someone on the book’s production side did an “oopsie,” however, and failed to edit out a few false starts made by Shepherd–no fault of the narrator, of course, but a small annoyance that pulled me out of the experience towards the final two hours or so of the audiobook.
Other than that one pesky element, The Horologicon was a joy to experience, and another piece of non-fiction I’ll be sure to revisit when next I feel pekish for English’s obscure lexicon of the yesteryear.
https://www.youtube.com/c/FilipMagnus...
Mark Forsyth’s non-fiction books are a treat. Erudite jaunts through the origins of the English language, every one of Forsyth’s works has been accompanied with hours of laughter, and The Horologicon: A Day’s Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language is no different. It doesn’t quite measure up to my memory of The Elements of Eloquence but it’s a different book, one attempting to unearth to lost and forgotten words in the English language, many of which are beyond specific; little wonder they’ve gone out of vogue. That said, more than a few of the words and expressions Forsyth drags back from obscurity are of semantic value–it’s a shame that know-it-alls are no longer defined as ultracrepidarian (“presumptuous, offering advice or opinions beyond one’s sphere of knowledge”), or that vampires nowadays aren’t called out for being lucifigus!
Forsyth here makes certain that you’ve got a word for every hour of the day, and for nearly every occasion. With careful study of the lexicong for each and every hour of the day, you might even master the art of sprezzatura, or “studied carelessness,” which Forsyth himself exhibits with such apparent effortlessness, clever chap that he is. The connective tissue from one word to the next is not quite as tight as it is in those wonderful interconnected musings on all manner of words in the Etymologicon, but the same humour is at display, and that’s what Not a moment of dullness was had in my listening of the audiobook, voiced by the very talented Simon Shepherd. Someone on the book’s production side did an “oopsie,” however, and failed to edit out a few false starts made by Shepherd–no fault of the narrator, of course, but a small annoyance that pulled me out of the experience towards the final two hours or so of the audiobook.
Other than that one pesky element, The Horologicon was a joy to experience, and another piece of non-fiction I’ll be sure to revisit when next I feel pekish for English’s obscure lexicon of the yesteryear.
https://www.youtube.com/c/FilipMagnus...
July 23, 2017
Too many of the words, imo, are jargon still in use by medical and other professionals (but I imagine that's my impression, and the actual count reveals only a few).
I do know that too many never were known, and are too long to have ever been in common use. I was hoping for more words simply archaic, and not truly 'lost.' And many of the lost words are synonyms for better words we have now.
That being said:
Scuddle - to run with a kind of affected haste or precipitation.
Fisk - to run about hastily and heedlessly.
(Do you want to accuse your colleague of scuddling, or would it be kinder to say she's just fisking?)
Guttle - to eat greedily, companion to 'guzzle.'
Nullibiquitous - existing nowhere, companion to 'ubiquitous.'
"What I tell you three times is true," is apparently from The Hunting of the Snark... I should already know that but I don't, so I'll have to check.
(Pratchett fans, look up the Codex Gigas, a real-life big scary book.)
I do know that too many never were known, and are too long to have ever been in common use. I was hoping for more words simply archaic, and not truly 'lost.' And many of the lost words are synonyms for better words we have now.
That being said:
Scuddle - to run with a kind of affected haste or precipitation.
Fisk - to run about hastily and heedlessly.
(Do you want to accuse your colleague of scuddling, or would it be kinder to say she's just fisking?)
Guttle - to eat greedily, companion to 'guzzle.'
Nullibiquitous - existing nowhere, companion to 'ubiquitous.'
"What I tell you three times is true," is apparently from The Hunting of the Snark... I should already know that but I don't, so I'll have to check.
(Pratchett fans, look up the Codex Gigas, a real-life big scary book.)
January 11, 2020
It’s almost impossible to not hear Stephen Fry’s voice while reading this quite interesting book about lost words of the English language. A book to read when one wants to be distracted from more serious matters. Recommended for anyone with an interest in language.
Read
May 26, 2016Here is a book subtitled “A Day’s Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language”; a “papery child of the Inky Fool blog” (2009) (http://blog.inkyfool.com). In 2016, this is a book which might well be thought to be looking for a selling point in 2016. The author emphatically and unsurprisingly recommends a carefully considered reading of his book of weird words for unusual situations, one ‘day’ at a time. Of course he’s right, his aim is to quomodocunquize (make a living).
Initially, a swift scanning of the pages by eye bypassed my brain and speedily rendered me into a state akin to hapless confusion as to its purpose. Who needs a book of obsolete English words? Isn’t our vast current everyday lexicon of British English, American English. Indian English, Australian English, Canadian English, NZ English, Caribbean English, etc, words more than perfectly adequate?
When delicately savoured, like a gastronomic treat of fresh lobster, this is a fascinating book. Even should those you converse with lose your thread, they surely cannot fail to be impressed by your deipnosophistry. Words which have gone out of usage do so for good reason, don’t they?
Forsyth draws attention to Bellibone n. “A woman excelling in both beauty and goodness”: as defined by Dr Johnson. The OED observes that the word “Bellibone” was last used in 1586. I speculated that maybe now the time is ripe to apply “Bellibone” to the ridiculously dangerous Western practice of “size zero” models in the high-fashion industry.
Gratingly annoying niggles are relatively rare. One appears on the first page of this book: “There are two reasons that these words are scattered and lost like atmic fragments.”
…. “atmic”? “atomic”? “atmospheric”?
Overalll, this is a collection of the compulsively unusual; to be dipped-into purposefully, as when seeking the irresistible pleasures of chain-sucking sucking aniseed balls.
Initially, a swift scanning of the pages by eye bypassed my brain and speedily rendered me into a state akin to hapless confusion as to its purpose. Who needs a book of obsolete English words? Isn’t our vast current everyday lexicon of British English, American English. Indian English, Australian English, Canadian English, NZ English, Caribbean English, etc, words more than perfectly adequate?
When delicately savoured, like a gastronomic treat of fresh lobster, this is a fascinating book. Even should those you converse with lose your thread, they surely cannot fail to be impressed by your deipnosophistry. Words which have gone out of usage do so for good reason, don’t they?
Forsyth draws attention to Bellibone n. “A woman excelling in both beauty and goodness”: as defined by Dr Johnson. The OED observes that the word “Bellibone” was last used in 1586. I speculated that maybe now the time is ripe to apply “Bellibone” to the ridiculously dangerous Western practice of “size zero” models in the high-fashion industry.
Gratingly annoying niggles are relatively rare. One appears on the first page of this book: “There are two reasons that these words are scattered and lost like atmic fragments.”
…. “atmic”? “atomic”? “atmospheric”?
Overalll, this is a collection of the compulsively unusual; to be dipped-into purposefully, as when seeking the irresistible pleasures of chain-sucking sucking aniseed balls.
January 23, 2021
As a life-long logophile, it's no surprise I'd be attracted to this title. Obscure words--what's not to love? But as I like to say, "Execution is everything."
And in the case of The Horologicon, the execution was better than anything I could have anticipated! The horological structure turns out to be genius. And beyond being very, very funny, this book is wildly clever, which is harder to pull off. As I read, I kept thinking, "New favorite word!" or "I need to add that to my vocabulary!"
I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay it is to state my intention to purchase a copy on both paper (for ease of study) and audio (for pronunciation) to add to my permanent collection. Oh, and I've already borrowed his book The Etymologicon from the library.
And in the case of The Horologicon, the execution was better than anything I could have anticipated! The horological structure turns out to be genius. And beyond being very, very funny, this book is wildly clever, which is harder to pull off. As I read, I kept thinking, "New favorite word!" or "I need to add that to my vocabulary!"
I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay it is to state my intention to purchase a copy on both paper (for ease of study) and audio (for pronunciation) to add to my permanent collection. Oh, and I've already borrowed his book The Etymologicon from the library.
May 3, 2018
Well researched, gently amusing and oddly interesting.
However, I suggest you occasionally dip in and out of the book rather than read it end to end in one go. Forsyth's humourous style of writing is fine in small doses, but if you read too much in one go I find it tends to start to irritate.
However, I suggest you occasionally dip in and out of the book rather than read it end to end in one go. Forsyth's humourous style of writing is fine in small doses, but if you read too much in one go I find it tends to start to irritate.
December 21, 2012
I loved this author's other language book, The Etymologicon, so once I heard about this one I knew I had to read it.
This is a different sort of book though and doesn't quite hit the mark. The previous book, as the title suggests, is about the origins behind words, a topic I find fascinating. I like to know why we use words the way we do and how they evolved to current standards.
This book though is less about origins, though some are included, and more about obscure and forgotten words for various things. Each chapter is linked to an hour of the day and things associated with that hour. It was a good way of tying together different words and worked well.
Overall though this book just wasn't as interesting. There were a lot of funny words but there were also a great deal of words that were just a Latin version of an ordinary word. I find those rather boring as you can take almost any word and translate it into Latin. I'm more interested in the words that sprang from other sources.
If you like language I'd still recommend this book but I think you'll have a more enjoyable time reading The Etymologicon.
This is a different sort of book though and doesn't quite hit the mark. The previous book, as the title suggests, is about the origins behind words, a topic I find fascinating. I like to know why we use words the way we do and how they evolved to current standards.
This book though is less about origins, though some are included, and more about obscure and forgotten words for various things. Each chapter is linked to an hour of the day and things associated with that hour. It was a good way of tying together different words and worked well.
Overall though this book just wasn't as interesting. There were a lot of funny words but there were also a great deal of words that were just a Latin version of an ordinary word. I find those rather boring as you can take almost any word and translate it into Latin. I'm more interested in the words that sprang from other sources.
If you like language I'd still recommend this book but I think you'll have a more enjoyable time reading The Etymologicon.
March 10, 2015
Drawn largely from the author’s The Inky Fool blog, Horologicon explores the varied terminology English speakers have used the last several hundred years to describe the events and things around them. The book’s title refers to the ancient practice of carrying a “book of the hours” with prayers and readings appropriate for reflect throughout the day.
Revealing some of the unique and humorous terms would spoiled the fun, besides most of us wouldn’t know how to pronounce many of the words. “Yule hole” was my favorite. That’s the last notch in one’s belt, used (hopefully) only after Christmas.
Former colonials from this side of the pond may occasionally puzzle over Forsyth’s English. As Oscar Wilde (or G. B. Shaw?) observed, we’re two nations divided by a common language.
Still, a fun read.
Revealing some of the unique and humorous terms would spoiled the fun, besides most of us wouldn’t know how to pronounce many of the words. “Yule hole” was my favorite. That’s the last notch in one’s belt, used (hopefully) only after Christmas.
Former colonials from this side of the pond may occasionally puzzle over Forsyth’s English. As Oscar Wilde (or G. B. Shaw?) observed, we’re two nations divided by a common language.
Still, a fun read.
November 5, 2012
Somewhat unfortunately, I read this at the same time as the new QI book of 1,227 facts, which included many of the words in this volume, obviously not by total coincidence. It's a fun book, though, with Mark Forsyth's humour as much as or more in evidence than in The Etymologicon. I don't think I'm going to remember many of these words, if any, but they are indeed satisfying and odd, and some of them are undeservedly defunct.
August 25, 2017
I love Forsyth's other books, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. It felt like it was trying too hard. The last third of the book is definitely the most entertaining, and it did introduce me to the term "wonderwench", which is now the only form of address that I will respond to, so it was worth it. Lovers of words should still read this, but if you are strapped for time, stick with his other two books.
September 1, 2021
Book: The Horologicon: A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language
Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd; UK ed. edition (3 November 2016)
Language: English
Paperback: 272 pages
Reading age: 18 years and up
Item Weight: 238 g
Dimensions: 19.8 x 2 x 13.1 cm
Price: 353/-
কী যা তা রকমের ভালো বই রে বাবা !!
ভাষার মৃত্যু ঘটে। পৃথিবী থেকে বহু ভাষাই লুপ্ত হয়ে গেছে। বিলুপ্ত ভাষা, বিলুপ্ত প্রজাতির সে বড় বেদনার ইতিহাস। এমন অনেক ভাষাই রয়েছে , লড়াই করে যারা বজায় রাখতে পারেনি নিজেদের অস্তিত্ব।
আন্দামানের নানা দ্বীপের জনজাতির কথাই ভাবুন না কেন! তারা নেই, তাদের ভাষা নেই। কেন ভাষা মরে তাই নিয়ে ২০০২ সালে ডেভিড ক্রিস্টালের মতো ভাষা-ভাবুক Language death নামক বই লিখেছেন। এ সবই হক কথা।
তবে ইংরেজি ভাষার মাথায় আন্দামানি ভাষার মতো বিলুপ্তির খাঁড়া ঝুলছে বলে মনে হয় না। ইংরেজির ইতিহাস-ভূগোল, অতীত-বর্তমান ঘাঁটলে টের পাওয়া যাবে। রাষ্ট্রপ��ঞ্জ প্রভূত ভাষাকে স্বীকৃতি দিলেও তার কাজকর্মের মূল ভাষা ইংরেজি। ইংরেজি হল আন্তর্জাতিক লিঙ্গুয়া ফ্রাংকা, যোগাযোগের ভাষা। ফলে ইংরেজির প্রতি পক্ষপাত সারা বিশ্বে সর্বত্র বেড়েছে।
সম্ভবত ভাষা হিসাবে ইংরেজির কিছু টেকিনিক্যাল সুবিধাও আছে। মাত্র ছাব্বিশটি বর্ণের বাহন আর অন্য দিকে বাক্যের বৈচিত্র্য ও শব্দের বিকল্পের প্রাচুর্য তাকে ব্যবহারিক ক্ষেত্রে অকষ্টকল্পিত, সহজসাধ্য, অনায়াস করে তুলেছে। ব্যাপক প্রচলনের কারণে ভাষাগত শুদ্ধি বা রক্ষণশীলতা তার নেই। এই ঔদার্যের সুযোগে বিভিন্ন স্থানীয় ভাষার উপর ভর করে এ ভাষার প্রভাব বলয় প্রত্যহ বেড়েই চলেছে।
ইংরেজি বিশ্ব অর্থনীতি নিয়ন্ত্রণের ভাষা। অতএব, ইংরেজির গুরুত্বকে অস্বীকার করা যাবে না।
কিন্তু এই ভাষারও প্রভূত শব্দ, অব্যবহার ও উপেক্ষার ফলে বিলুপ্ত হচ্ছে। লেখকের মূল বক্তব্য হলো এই যে, প্রত্যেক স্বাভাবিক ভাষার বেঁচে থাকার প্রথম ও প্রধান শর্ত হল তার শব্দ ভাণ্ডারের ক্রমিক বিস্তার। চলমান জীবনের নানা ক্ষেত্র থেকে নতুন শব্দ ভাষার শব্দ ভাণ্ডারে ক্রমাগত জড়ো হতে থাকে।
তা হলেই সে ভাষা জীবন্ত, যা প্রাণস্পন্দে স্পন্দিত। এ শব্দ আসে নানা পথে, নানা ভাবে, নানা কারণে, নানা উদ্দেশ্যে। ভাষা ব্যবহারকারীরা তাদের জীবনযাপনের নতুন নতুন প্রয়োজন মেটাতে তৈরি করে কিংবা ধার করে নতুন শব্দ।
কখনও বা পুরনো শব্দগুলোকে নতুন অর্থে ও নতুন আঙ্গিকে ব্যবহার করে। এ সবই হচ্ছে ভাষার বেঁচে থাকার, অগ্রগতির, বিস্তার ও উন্নতির লক্ষণ। পৃথিবীর প্রত্যেকটি জীবন্ত ভাষারও সে অর্থে শব্দভাণ্ডার স্ফীত হচ্ছে। নতুন নতুন শব্দ আসছে ভাষায়। আবার, অব্যবহারে জীর্ণশীর্ণ ক্লান্ত হয়ে অনেক শব্দ বিলুপ্ত বা মৃত হয়ে যাচ্ছে।
এই বিলুপ্ত শব্দের ডালি ও শব্দগুলি সৃষ্টির নেপথ্যে লুকিয়ে থাকা ইতিহাস নিয়ে লেখা হয়েছে বইটি। বইয়ের প্রস্তাবনায় লেখক বলছেন : This book is firmly devoted to words of the latter half. It is for the words too beautiful to live long, too amusing to be taken seriously, too precise to become common, too vulgar to survive in polite society, or too poetic to thrive in this age of prose. !! এর চেয়ে সুন্দর অভিব্যক্তি হয় ?
আমরা যারা ইংরেজি ভাষার ক্ষুদ্রায়তন, তুচ্ছ, অকিঞ্চিৎকর ভৃত্য, তারা ব্যবহার করতে ভুলেই গিয়েছি Snollygoster, Sprunt, feague, Ultracrepidarian, decubitus, oneirocritical, Egrote, Groke ইত্যাদি শব্দবন্ধ। অথচ প্রত্যেকটির নেপথ্য ইতিহাস সবিশেষ বর্ণময়।
উনিশটি অধ্যায়ে বিভক্ত বইটি চমৎকার কায়দায় সাজিয়েছেন লেখক। দিনের শুরু থেকে নিয়ে শেষ অবধি , প্রহর মেপে মেপে এক একটি পরিচ্ছেদ লেখা হয়েছে। বইটির ভূমিকাতেই বলা রয়েছে : Do you wake up feeling rough? Then you’re 'philogrobolized'. Pretending to work? That’s 'fudgelling', which may lead to 'rizzling' if you feel sleepy after lunch, though by dinner time you will have become a sparkling 'deipnosophist'. অবিশ্যি Horologicon শব্দের অর্থই হলো 'a book of things appropriate to each hour' !!
প্রত্যেকটি পরিচ্ছেদেই রয়েছে শয়ে শয়ে হারিয়ে যাওয়া ইংরেজি শব্দের ঠিকানা। লেখক পুঙ্খানুপুঙ্খ বিশ্লেষণের মাধ্যমে দেখিয়েছেন, ঠিক কেমনভাবে ভাষাতাত্ত্বিক বিষয় বিশ্লেষণ, বানান সমস্যা, বাক্যগঠন প্রক্রিয়া, যথাযথ শব্দপ্রয়োগ ইত্যাদির অভাব অথবা উন্নাসিকতার ফলে হারিয়ে যায় এক একটি অসামান্য শব্দ।
বইটির লিখনশৈলী চমৎকার। আপনাকে ইংরেজি ভাষার তাত্ত্বিক বা অসামান্য জ্ঞানী হতে হবেনা বইটির মূল বক্তব্য বোঝার জন্য। প্রচুর অজানা গল্প বলেছেন লেখক।
সর্বোপরি, পাঠকের সাথে তাঁর যোগসূত্র সৃষ্টির পদ্ধতি আমায় একরকম ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে গেছে দাদারা। তিন থেকে চার পাতা পড়তে পড়তে কখন নিজের অজান্তে ২০০ পাতা সাবাড় করে দিলুম বুঝতেই পারলুম না নবীর কসম !!
পড়ে দেখতে পারেন।
Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd; UK ed. edition (3 November 2016)
Language: English
Paperback: 272 pages
Reading age: 18 years and up
Item Weight: 238 g
Dimensions: 19.8 x 2 x 13.1 cm
Price: 353/-
কী যা তা রকমের ভালো বই রে বাবা !!
ভাষার মৃত্যু ঘটে। পৃথিবী থেকে বহু ভাষাই লুপ্ত হয়ে গেছে। বিলুপ্ত ভাষা, বিলুপ্ত প্রজাতির সে বড় বেদনার ইতিহাস। এমন অনেক ভাষাই রয়েছে , লড়াই করে যারা বজায় রাখতে পারেনি নিজেদের অস্তিত্ব।
আন্দামানের নানা দ্বীপের জনজাতির কথাই ভাবুন না কেন! তারা নেই, তাদের ভাষা নেই। কেন ভাষা মরে তাই নিয়ে ২০০২ সালে ডেভিড ক্রিস্টালের মতো ভাষা-ভাবুক Language death নামক বই লিখেছেন। এ সবই হক কথা।
তবে ইংরেজি ভাষার মাথায় আন্দামানি ভাষার মতো বিলুপ্তির খাঁড়া ঝুলছে বলে মনে হয় না। ইংরেজির ইতিহাস-ভূগোল, অতীত-বর্তমান ঘাঁটলে টের পাওয়া যাবে। রাষ্ট্রপ��ঞ্জ প্রভূত ভাষাকে স্বীকৃতি দিলেও তার কাজকর্মের মূল ভাষা ইংরেজি। ইংরেজি হল আন্তর্জাতিক লিঙ্গুয়া ফ্রাংকা, যোগাযোগের ভাষা। ফলে ইংরেজির প্রতি পক্ষপাত সারা বিশ্বে সর্বত্র বেড়েছে।
সম্ভবত ভাষা হিসাবে ইংরেজির কিছু টেকিনিক্যাল সুবিধাও আছে। মাত্র ছাব্বিশটি বর্ণের বাহন আর অন্য দিকে বাক্যের বৈচিত্র্য ও শব্দের বিকল্পের প্রাচুর্য তাকে ব্যবহারিক ক্ষেত্রে অকষ্টকল্পিত, সহজসাধ্য, অনায়াস করে তুলেছে। ব্যাপক প্রচলনের কারণে ভাষাগত শুদ্ধি বা রক্ষণশীলতা তার নেই। এই ঔদার্যের সুযোগে বিভিন্ন স্থানীয় ভাষার উপর ভর করে এ ভাষার প্রভাব বলয় প্রত্যহ বেড়েই চলেছে।
ইংরেজি বিশ্ব অর্থনীতি নিয়ন্ত্রণের ভাষা। অতএব, ইংরেজির গুরুত্বকে অস্বীকার করা যাবে না।
কিন্তু এই ভাষারও প্রভূত শব্দ, অব্যবহার ও উপেক্ষার ফলে বিলুপ্ত হচ্ছে। লেখকের মূল বক্তব্য হলো এই যে, প্রত্যেক স্বাভাবিক ভাষার বেঁচে থাকার প্রথম ও প্রধান শর্ত হল তার শব্দ ভাণ্ডারের ক্রমিক বিস্তার। চলমান জীবনের নানা ক্ষেত্র থেকে নতুন শব্দ ভাষার শব্দ ভাণ্ডারে ক্রমাগত জড়ো হতে থাকে।
তা হলেই সে ভাষা জীবন্ত, যা প্রাণস্পন্দে স্পন্দিত। এ শব্দ আসে নানা পথে, নানা ভাবে, নানা কারণে, নানা উদ্দেশ্যে। ভাষা ব্যবহারকারীরা তাদের জীবনযাপনের নতুন নতুন প্রয়োজন মেটাতে তৈরি করে কিংবা ধার করে নতুন শব্দ।
কখনও বা পুরনো শব্দগুলোকে নতুন অর্থে ও নতুন আঙ্গিকে ব্যবহার করে। এ সবই হচ্ছে ভাষার বেঁচে থাকার, অগ্রগতির, বিস্তার ও উন্নতির লক্ষণ। পৃথিবীর প্রত্যেকটি জীবন্ত ভাষারও সে অর্থে শব্দভাণ্ডার স্ফীত হচ্ছে। নতুন নতুন শব্দ আসছে ভাষায়। আবার, অব্যবহারে জীর্ণশীর্ণ ক্লান্ত হয়ে অনেক শব্দ বিলুপ্ত বা মৃত হয়ে যাচ্ছে।
এই বিলুপ্ত শব্দের ডালি ও শব্দগুলি সৃষ্টির নেপথ্যে লুকিয়ে থাকা ইতিহাস নিয়ে লেখা হয়েছে বইটি। বইয়ের প্রস্তাবনায় লেখক বলছেন : This book is firmly devoted to words of the latter half. It is for the words too beautiful to live long, too amusing to be taken seriously, too precise to become common, too vulgar to survive in polite society, or too poetic to thrive in this age of prose. !! এর চেয়ে সুন্দর অভিব্যক্তি হয় ?
আমরা যারা ইংরেজি ভাষার ক্ষুদ্রায়তন, তুচ্ছ, অকিঞ্চিৎকর ভৃত্য, তারা ব্যবহার করতে ভুলেই গিয়েছি Snollygoster, Sprunt, feague, Ultracrepidarian, decubitus, oneirocritical, Egrote, Groke ইত্যাদি শব্দবন্ধ। অথচ প্রত্যেকটির নেপথ্য ইতিহাস সবিশেষ বর্ণময়।
উনিশটি অধ্যায়ে বিভক্ত বইটি চমৎকার কায়দায় সাজিয়েছেন লেখক। দিনের শুরু থেকে নিয়ে শেষ অবধি , প্রহর মেপে মেপে এক একটি পরিচ্ছেদ লেখা হয়েছে। বইটির ভূমিকাতেই বলা রয়েছে : Do you wake up feeling rough? Then you’re 'philogrobolized'. Pretending to work? That’s 'fudgelling', which may lead to 'rizzling' if you feel sleepy after lunch, though by dinner time you will have become a sparkling 'deipnosophist'. অবিশ্যি Horologicon শব্দের অর্থই হলো 'a book of things appropriate to each hour' !!
প্রত্যেকটি পরিচ্ছেদেই রয়েছে শয়ে শয়ে হারিয়ে যাওয়া ইংরেজি শব্দের ঠিকানা। লেখক পুঙ্খানুপুঙ্খ বিশ্লেষণের মাধ্যমে দেখিয়েছেন, ঠিক কেমনভাবে ভাষাতাত্ত্বিক বিষয় বিশ্লেষণ, বানান সমস্যা, বাক্যগঠন প্রক্রিয়া, যথাযথ শব্দপ্রয়োগ ইত্যাদির অভাব অথবা উন্নাসিকতার ফলে হারিয়ে যায় এক একটি অসামান্য শব্দ।
বইটির লিখনশৈলী চমৎকার। আপনাকে ইংরেজি ভাষার তাত্ত্বিক বা অসামান্য জ্ঞানী হতে হবেনা বইটির মূল বক্তব্য বোঝার জন্য। প্রচুর অজানা গল্প বলেছেন লেখক।
সর্বোপরি, পাঠকের সাথে তাঁর যোগসূত্র সৃষ্টির পদ্ধতি আমায় একরকম ভাসিয়ে নিয়ে গেছে দাদারা। তিন থেকে চার পাতা পড়তে পড়তে কখন নিজের অজান্তে ২০০ পাতা সাবাড় করে দিলুম বুঝতেই পারলুম না নবীর কসম !!
পড়ে দেখতে পারেন।
February 28, 2013
The Horologicon is a delightful journey through an entire day populated by words that have meandered out of the every day English usage. Forsyth’s tone is cheeky, slightly irreverent and very, very engaging. It is funny because although this is what Louise Rosenblatt would term “efferent reading,” reading The Horologicon doesn’t feel as mentally taxing and as dense as one feel after say, reading something else that demands attention, something that isn’t for fun, per se, but to glean information from. That is the crux of it, I suppose. I read this for fun. English as a language fascinates me because it finds its origins in so many other languages; it borrows words and phrases and appropriates expressions and gives them a twist to make them its own.
Forsyth uses the new words in context immediately after he introduces them and this lets the reader get familiar with them and remember them when uses them again later. He cites a large number of sources and credits properly and this illustrates the scope of his research. But perhaps most admirably, he takes a topic that can be very dry and infuses it with sly humour and vignettes that are both fun and illuminates the point being made perfectly.
The lost words come from a variety of dialects and are almost always accompanied by their delicious back stories or other tidbits that make them so interesting to read. I had a lot of fun and several laugh out loud moments while reading. This book will be a perfect fit for aspiring writers, lovers of English language and anyone who wants to read a fun piece of literature. I sincerely recommend it.
Forsyth uses the new words in context immediately after he introduces them and this lets the reader get familiar with them and remember them when uses them again later. He cites a large number of sources and credits properly and this illustrates the scope of his research. But perhaps most admirably, he takes a topic that can be very dry and infuses it with sly humour and vignettes that are both fun and illuminates the point being made perfectly.
The lost words come from a variety of dialects and are almost always accompanied by their delicious back stories or other tidbits that make them so interesting to read. I had a lot of fun and several laugh out loud moments while reading. This book will be a perfect fit for aspiring writers, lovers of English language and anyone who wants to read a fun piece of literature. I sincerely recommend it.
August 7, 2017
Mark Forsyth has given us several entertaining books about words, reading, drunkenness, and turning a phrase. He's a committed fan of dictionaries and this book digs deeply into wonderful words, going even beyond the Oxford English Dictionary into old studies of dialects and specialized books on jargon used in some professions.
It's the type of book that might best be taken in small bites to learn and take notes, but Forsyth is an interesting enough writer to keep the book entertaining for an end-to-end gulp. To maintain a theme he has divided a day into several parts to collect words into topics like mornings, work, meals, evening entertainments, to bedtime.
Many of these words seem like they'd be incredibly useful even today. Take "Uhtceare" (oot-kee-ar-uh) as an example. Uht is an old word meaning the twilight before dawn, and ceare is a word for cares and sorrow. So now you have a word for that mind-wandering restlessness one does while in bed before the sun rises. If you are a person who manages to be cheerful when waking up, even before coffee, you are "matutinal", a useful word for people who, for me, can be quite irritating.
Every page is filled with words like this, pulled along with humor by the author. It can almost be overwhelming at times, and I may run through the book again just to make notes on the ones worth making a permanent part of my own vocabulary. It's a great book for any writer or reader who loves finding a new word while reading.
It's the type of book that might best be taken in small bites to learn and take notes, but Forsyth is an interesting enough writer to keep the book entertaining for an end-to-end gulp. To maintain a theme he has divided a day into several parts to collect words into topics like mornings, work, meals, evening entertainments, to bedtime.
Many of these words seem like they'd be incredibly useful even today. Take "Uhtceare" (oot-kee-ar-uh) as an example. Uht is an old word meaning the twilight before dawn, and ceare is a word for cares and sorrow. So now you have a word for that mind-wandering restlessness one does while in bed before the sun rises. If you are a person who manages to be cheerful when waking up, even before coffee, you are "matutinal", a useful word for people who, for me, can be quite irritating.
Every page is filled with words like this, pulled along with humor by the author. It can almost be overwhelming at times, and I may run through the book again just to make notes on the ones worth making a permanent part of my own vocabulary. It's a great book for any writer or reader who loves finding a new word while reading.
November 30, 2014
A thoroughly entertaining romp through rare and obsolete words that are appropriate for different times of the day. Forsyth arranges his 19 chapters chronologically from waking to turning in for the night, taking the reader from 6am to 12 midnight, from dawn, dressing, breakfast and commute through work, lunch and procrastination to tea time, food shopping, going out and returning home to bed. This book was to me a delight, light and witty in tone but erudite in knowledge. Forsyth readably conveys his passion for words that beautifully express more exactly our daily mundane experiences. Thanks to him I can now confidently forecast that post Christmas lunch my husband will pass out wamble crompt on the sofa, a word that perfectly rolls in the mounth to onomatopoeically speak of overindulgence and concomitant lethargy.
September 1, 2016
An amusing look at obsolete English words set in the context of the reader's day. Almost fiction! Very readable and could be used as a reference book too. I love words and linguistics - Mark Forsyth is a very clever man!
January 21, 2013
This is a really fun book and a must read for anyone who loves reading and learning about words. See my full review: http://youtu.be/b10UgeizXcA
May 3, 2020
A book I've owned for years, and I had made starts in the past but always giving up. Not because I did not enjoy it, but because I tried to read it like a regular book or any other piece of non-fiction. If you attempt that, as I did, the witty descriptions of English words fallen out of use over the centuries woven into a day in the life of a modern individual soon get tired; no matter how much of a language nerd you are. Don't attempt to read this in the space of a week or two. Take your time, read a section or two and put the book down. I realize this is unnatural to any avid reader, but it'll be worth it in the long run.
I bought these in a set (see Mark Forsyth's Gemel Edition), but I'll take a brief break from obscure words I doubt I will ever put to use. That being said; especially topical is:
"'At Cambridge University in the late eighteenth century they had four distinct ways of not bumping into an old chum on the street: [...]
The CUT DIRECT, is to start across the street, at the approach of the anxious person in order to avoid him.'"
I hope to pickup The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language later this year!
I bought these in a set (see Mark Forsyth's Gemel Edition), but I'll take a brief break from obscure words I doubt I will ever put to use. That being said; especially topical is:
"'At Cambridge University in the late eighteenth century they had four distinct ways of not bumping into an old chum on the street: [...]
The CUT DIRECT, is to start across the street, at the approach of the anxious person in order to avoid him.'"
I hope to pickup The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language later this year!
August 28, 2025
This is an interesting book in that one of the first thing it advises is not to read it from cover to cover in one go - but rather the dip in to it when the urge takes you.
And I will admit that probably works the best - most certainly for me that is. As the sections are set out as hours of the day - hence the title the author gave it - where by you find the time of day that you are at or that interests you the most and read up what is said and what wonderfully bizarre words await you.
Now I will be the first to admit that I am one for going down rabbit holes and this book achieves this on a mammoth scale so yes you do (or at least I did) find myself jumping to other sections but that I guess is all part of the books appeal after all.
And I will admit that probably works the best - most certainly for me that is. As the sections are set out as hours of the day - hence the title the author gave it - where by you find the time of day that you are at or that interests you the most and read up what is said and what wonderfully bizarre words await you.
Now I will be the first to admit that I am one for going down rabbit holes and this book achieves this on a mammoth scale so yes you do (or at least I did) find myself jumping to other sections but that I guess is all part of the books appeal after all.
July 31, 2016
Audience: Those who love the meaning and origins of words.
Summed up in one word: There isn't just one word for this book...there are lots...
Author Bio: Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist, proofreader, ghost writer and pendant. After starting his Inky Fool blog, he continued that work into The Horologicon. MF loves etymology and he is a gifted wordsmith!
First Impression: I am so happy when I come across books like this. Books that talk about words, books, bookshops or any other interesting subject surrounding the written word are very special to me and this does not disappoint. Mark Forsyth has written 4 books, of which 3 sit on my shelf as I can't get enough of his way with words. This is sort of a serious read, but with all the wit, humour and great words, this book is a blast.
Summary:
The Tagline for this book is:
'A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language'
Mark Forsyth maps out our day from waking up at 6am to going to bed at 12am (possibly drunk). With this time-frame MF unveils lots of lost words and phrases of the items/activities/actions we experience everyday. From Aztec to Medieval. From Victorian to the Second World War. These words have lost their places in our modern society, but that does not make them incredibly interesting and worth knowing. Even if it is just to spice up everyday conversation or to confuse/annoy colleagues and loved ones with ancient insults that have amazing and rich history in past cultures.
This book begins when we open our eyes in the morning, woken up by one of the various 'expergefactors' that occur in the start of the day. We get ready for work, 'Jenticulate', usually with 'cackling farts'. Once we get to work and avoid all the 'ultracrepidarians', we can ignore the 'Mugwump' and get on with avoiding doing any work. After the visit to the 'fumatorium' and doing as much 'quomodocunquizing' as possible, you the faint sound of 'borborygmi' and off to lunch you go. These are the sort of scenarios and words that you will experience inside 'The Horologicon'. Grab yourself a copy, learn some great old words and have a lot of fun doing so!
Review
Content: As far as content goes, this book has it all. Relevant, important and interesting information, set out in a recognisable and easy going format. Most importantly, this is content that everyone can relate to. As the reader I was amazed, amused and astounded by these words and phrases, their origins and context were just as satisfying and entertaining. (Some origins were sad, horrific or just plain uncool, but they are very scarce.)
Author Style: Mark Forsyth lives and breathes the world of etymology. It shows in The Horologicon. The whole time the reader spends with this book, they can sense that MF not only knows his stuff but he has a great time talking about it. The fact that the author is a having a good time while he writes makes this book special. MF's choice to use the outline of a typical day was a great choice and he uses it to good effect. I found that the humour he adds to his writing is the best part of the book, he is funny, witty and he writes great jokes.
Accomplishments: This book accomplishes plenty. It teaches fun, old and amusing words to those who want to learn more about them. MF uses context, origins and jokes to make words interesting to people. MF also highlights plenty of actions we perform or items we interact with throughout our day and shines a light on them, explaining the terminology and history of each of the things we usually perform or experience without thinking much about them. For example Pandiculation - The stretching of the arms and body in the morning.
Pros: Smart, funny writing. Plenty to learn. Quality writing and decent format.
Cons: Not enough....? I had to keep stopping to write these words down :). There is not much wrong with this piece. I have not got the knowledge or the time to go through and fact check this book, so there is the possibility of misinformation.
Extras: MF's other books look just as interesting and I will add the reviews when I have finished them. I will just jot down some words from The Horologicon here to give you an idea of the content you can enjoy inside:
Plutomania - Frenzied pursuit of money.
Nephelolater - One who enjoys passing clouds
Borborygmi - The rumbling noises produced by an empty stomach
Eructation - Belching
Latibulaters - People who hide in corners
Oniomania - Compulsion to buy things
Perendinate - Put off until the day after tomorrow
Interjaculate - Throw in between
Deipnophobia - Dread of dinner parties
Apodysophilia - A feverish desire to undress
Rating: As a book and word loving fellow, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. I do really enjoy any books on words, books, libraries, book festivals, book history and reading, so maybe I am slightly biased. Never the less, read this, enjoy it and use its words in everyday conversation just for the fun of it.
9/10
Summed up in one word: There isn't just one word for this book...there are lots...
Author Bio: Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist, proofreader, ghost writer and pendant. After starting his Inky Fool blog, he continued that work into The Horologicon. MF loves etymology and he is a gifted wordsmith!
First Impression: I am so happy when I come across books like this. Books that talk about words, books, bookshops or any other interesting subject surrounding the written word are very special to me and this does not disappoint. Mark Forsyth has written 4 books, of which 3 sit on my shelf as I can't get enough of his way with words. This is sort of a serious read, but with all the wit, humour and great words, this book is a blast.
Summary:
The Tagline for this book is:
'A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language'
Mark Forsyth maps out our day from waking up at 6am to going to bed at 12am (possibly drunk). With this time-frame MF unveils lots of lost words and phrases of the items/activities/actions we experience everyday. From Aztec to Medieval. From Victorian to the Second World War. These words have lost their places in our modern society, but that does not make them incredibly interesting and worth knowing. Even if it is just to spice up everyday conversation or to confuse/annoy colleagues and loved ones with ancient insults that have amazing and rich history in past cultures.
This book begins when we open our eyes in the morning, woken up by one of the various 'expergefactors' that occur in the start of the day. We get ready for work, 'Jenticulate', usually with 'cackling farts'. Once we get to work and avoid all the 'ultracrepidarians', we can ignore the 'Mugwump' and get on with avoiding doing any work. After the visit to the 'fumatorium' and doing as much 'quomodocunquizing' as possible, you the faint sound of 'borborygmi' and off to lunch you go. These are the sort of scenarios and words that you will experience inside 'The Horologicon'. Grab yourself a copy, learn some great old words and have a lot of fun doing so!
Review
Content: As far as content goes, this book has it all. Relevant, important and interesting information, set out in a recognisable and easy going format. Most importantly, this is content that everyone can relate to. As the reader I was amazed, amused and astounded by these words and phrases, their origins and context were just as satisfying and entertaining. (Some origins were sad, horrific or just plain uncool, but they are very scarce.)
Author Style: Mark Forsyth lives and breathes the world of etymology. It shows in The Horologicon. The whole time the reader spends with this book, they can sense that MF not only knows his stuff but he has a great time talking about it. The fact that the author is a having a good time while he writes makes this book special. MF's choice to use the outline of a typical day was a great choice and he uses it to good effect. I found that the humour he adds to his writing is the best part of the book, he is funny, witty and he writes great jokes.
Accomplishments: This book accomplishes plenty. It teaches fun, old and amusing words to those who want to learn more about them. MF uses context, origins and jokes to make words interesting to people. MF also highlights plenty of actions we perform or items we interact with throughout our day and shines a light on them, explaining the terminology and history of each of the things we usually perform or experience without thinking much about them. For example Pandiculation - The stretching of the arms and body in the morning.
Pros: Smart, funny writing. Plenty to learn. Quality writing and decent format.
Cons: Not enough....? I had to keep stopping to write these words down :). There is not much wrong with this piece. I have not got the knowledge or the time to go through and fact check this book, so there is the possibility of misinformation.
Extras: MF's other books look just as interesting and I will add the reviews when I have finished them. I will just jot down some words from The Horologicon here to give you an idea of the content you can enjoy inside:
Plutomania - Frenzied pursuit of money.
Nephelolater - One who enjoys passing clouds
Borborygmi - The rumbling noises produced by an empty stomach
Eructation - Belching
Latibulaters - People who hide in corners
Oniomania - Compulsion to buy things
Perendinate - Put off until the day after tomorrow
Interjaculate - Throw in between
Deipnophobia - Dread of dinner parties
Apodysophilia - A feverish desire to undress
Rating: As a book and word loving fellow, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. I do really enjoy any books on words, books, libraries, book festivals, book history and reading, so maybe I am slightly biased. Never the less, read this, enjoy it and use its words in everyday conversation just for the fun of it.
9/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2025
4.5 stars
December 24, 2014
*Goodreads First Reads copy*
Horologicon certainly helped me 'rediscover' old, obscure terms that can still be used. It was certainly well researched and documented. However, the author seemed not to be able to decide whether he wanted to write a research tool or a humorous book on language. Sadly, I felt he failed on both accounts.
The layout of the book, while improving on dictionaries in the sense that it is based on when you may need a certain word, is not fully conducive to quickly finding the right term. I found the difference in typeset between the rare term and the rest of the text to be too miniscule to help in finding these terms. The index only helps if you actually already have an idea of the word you want. Otherwise you still might have to read an entire chapter to find what you are looking for.
In terms of a humorous book on language I felt the humor to be boring. I'm sure there are people out there who appreciate the author's sense of humor. For them this just may be a great book. The only thing I found while reading this book was a quick trip to sleep. Twice I found myself falling asleep while trying to read this book. For that fact alone I would recommend it to insomniacs.
The one part of the book I enjoyed the most was one of the shorter chapters. Sadly, I didn't learn any new terminology. Through my own job I already knew all of the words. For a book purporting to re-introduce vanishing phrases to the English language, it felt odd the author focused an entire chapter on terminology readily used in today's society.
Horologicon certainly helped me 'rediscover' old, obscure terms that can still be used. It was certainly well researched and documented. However, the author seemed not to be able to decide whether he wanted to write a research tool or a humorous book on language. Sadly, I felt he failed on both accounts.
The layout of the book, while improving on dictionaries in the sense that it is based on when you may need a certain word, is not fully conducive to quickly finding the right term. I found the difference in typeset between the rare term and the rest of the text to be too miniscule to help in finding these terms. The index only helps if you actually already have an idea of the word you want. Otherwise you still might have to read an entire chapter to find what you are looking for.
In terms of a humorous book on language I felt the humor to be boring. I'm sure there are people out there who appreciate the author's sense of humor. For them this just may be a great book. The only thing I found while reading this book was a quick trip to sleep. Twice I found myself falling asleep while trying to read this book. For that fact alone I would recommend it to insomniacs.
The one part of the book I enjoyed the most was one of the shorter chapters. Sadly, I didn't learn any new terminology. Through my own job I already knew all of the words. For a book purporting to re-introduce vanishing phrases to the English language, it felt odd the author focused an entire chapter on terminology readily used in today's society.
December 19, 2017
Forsyth likes to hunt through arcane and regional dictionaries for quaint words, which he groups and weaves into a narrative interlarded with outrageous British humour.
When he's not making you laugh, he's making apt observations about words and their origins, their denotations, their connotations, and their connections. It's edifying, and it's a window into the different ways a language evolves.
If you're a fantasy writer looking to invent whole new worlds (à la Tolkien), you could do worse than seeking inspiration for word-building in Forsyth's book.
The Horologicon forms a “trilogy” with The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language and The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase. They can be read separately and in any order, but I do recommend reading them all.
When he's not making you laugh, he's making apt observations about words and their origins, their denotations, their connotations, and their connections. It's edifying, and it's a window into the different ways a language evolves.
Tatterdemalion has the lovely suggestion of dandelions towards the end (although pronounced with all the stress on the may of malion) and should be immediately comprehensible even to the uninitiated, because everybody knows what tatter means, and the demalion bit was never anything more than a linguistic fascinator.
If you're a fantasy writer looking to invent whole new worlds (à la Tolkien), you could do worse than seeking inspiration for word-building in Forsyth's book.
The Horologicon forms a “trilogy” with The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language and The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase. They can be read separately and in any order, but I do recommend reading them all.
November 5, 2014
While I really enjoyed the Etymologicon because it was a fresh and novel concept that taught me the meaning and connections between a variety of words, this book was pretty well terrible. My husband, who also enjoyed his first book, described this as "the OED with a story clumsily attached." I couldn't agree more. While I remember even today some of the fun derivation stories from the Etymologicon, I couldn't remember new words from this a page after I read them. It was too many words, none of which were offered in a memorable way. It was like looking at a spelling list and then, 30 seconds later, being asked to recall all the words on the list. It's impossible and the knowledge gained becomes nil. While his humor was still there, the "day in your life" format was just not the best concept. Here's fingers crossed for Etymologicon 2!!!
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