Weird and Wonderful Words

by Erin McKean (Editor), Simon Winchester (Foreword), Roz Chast (Illustrator)

Weird and Wonderful Words is a pot-pourri, a gallimaufry, a salmagundi, a treasure trove of colourful, quirky, and unusual words. Containing hundreds of definitions written in a clear and conversational style and full-page illustrations which offer a whimsical and hilarious view of our glorious language. Amuse yourself and entertain your friends with your knowledge of who a snollygoster or a Funambulist may be, what a humdudgeon or a nubbingcheat was, or why you might want to engage in catopromancy. Appendices include a bibliography of Oxford's dictionaries and a guide to creating your own unusual words correctly from Greek and Latin roots. The perfect stocking filler and gift book, Weird and Wonderful Words is sure to be a favourite of logophiles (word lovers) everywhere.

Genres: Language, Nonfiction, Reference, Trivia

132 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2002

Reviews

[Chriss · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not so great. The words and their definitions are mostly uninteresting. The layout isn't that great, either. For instance, you'll be looking at the words for a letter and suddenly they're interrupted by two pages of the author talking about something vaguely related. Why not put these AFTER the chapters for the letters? The illustrations aren't that great, either.

Overall, a 'meah' book. There are much better.

[Wilbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. I wish there had been pronunciation guides with each word. I didn't care for the section on making up your own words, until I started making up some of my own. Turns out it's a lot of fun. I'll be doing more.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roz Chast illustrates...check. Erin McKean, word goddess, edits...check. I was in heaven...
why was the book so short? Some golden nuggets: camorra, shamal, pyknic, bysen,
grumphie, and deasil. Look them up :)

[Laura-nassidesa Eschbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A DELIGHTFUL COLLECTION OF WORDS, far too many are absolete and I will have to incorporate them into my vocabulary

[Jane]

Roz Chast's illustrations were the best part. Oh, and the word "oxters". I never knew that was such a peculiar word.

[Krysta Halye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is obviously not a book to be read in one sitting but it is a good reference of odd words and enjoyable for anyone interested in writing or speaking or just reading

[elstaffe]

Pull quotes/notes
"semiopathy the tendency to read humorously inappropriate meanings into signs. One anecdote is about the literary critic Terry Eagleton (1943- ). He saw a sign next to an escalator reading 'Dogs Must Be Carried.' Since he wanted to go upstairs, he went off to find a dog. Other fine examples are 'Slow Children Crossing' and 'The Door Is Alarmed.' The word seems to have been coined by the editors of the 'Feedback' section of New Scientist magazine." (86) I am decidedly a semiopath

"WEBLIOGRAPHY
...
Urban Legends Archive

This discusses, and debunks, some of the stranger stories about the origins of words that circulate online and off.

Word Fugitives

Barbara Wallraff of the Atlantic Monthly features words that ought to exist but don't." (128)

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun, irreverent, curious and above all informative. From gasping, “I never knew there was a word for that!” to thinking “Ooh, I was looking for a word for that!”, this bizarre lexicon ranges through history and over the planet. There is a word for that foreign business of greeting people by touching noses and a modern expression for an error in a computer program that disappears or behaves differently when you try to fix it. There’s even a webliography in the back so you can use the Internet to expand your vocabulary.

For linguists, bibliophiles and word-lovers, this book is a quirky little treasure.

[Chava · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I like learning new words, I love Roz Chast's cartoons, and since it is listed in alphabetical order like a dictionary, so can progress and quickly or slowly as you want.

I was hoping to expand my vocabulary, but as evidenced by the title, many of the words are weird and will not come into play in a normal conversation. When searching the book list to post my review, I noticed there are two more books in the series. I doubt I will be reading either one.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A colection of odd words. Some are amusing.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love words.
I love etymology.
This is fun.
It’s full of words!
Funny, unusual, weird words and interesting information about them.

[Stein Surland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Garbage. The print quality and font are awful. To the point where it destroys the enjoy of reading the book. Looks like it’s been printed on a line printer. Published 2003 - hello laser printers…