The Illustrated Compendium of Ugly English Words: Including Phlegm, Chunky, Moist, and More

by Tyler Vendetti, Rebecca Pry (Illustrator)

Behold the 300 Ugliest Words in the English Language! Proceed at your own risk! J. R. R. Tolkien once said that cellar door is the most beautiful phrase in the English language; since then it has received quite a bit of attention from poets and linguists. But what of the ugly words? This delightfully humorous volume celebrates the words that make people gag and cover their ears. Too long have these atrocious utterances gone unrecognized, nay, shunned from society. No longer! The Illustrated Compendium of Ugly English Words pays homage to the 300 worst words in existence, such Amazeballs (noun) : The public's opinion on this word can be perfectly encapsulated by a recent Slate article titled Who coined amazeballs and why do they hate humanity? Chunky (adjective) : Chunky (meaning lumpy) is a word so vile, it can make even the most pleasant image sound disgusting. Let's try. Chunky flower. Chunky chocolate milk. Chunky Jonathan Van Ness. See? Moist (adjective) : Slightly or moderately wet; damp; the linguistic equivalent of stepping in a lukewarm puddle in socks and feeling the water ooze between your toes with every step thereafter. Rural (adjective) : Meaning of the countryside, rural's definition is not actually gross. Its foulness stems more from its pronunciation, which forces the speaker to make a noise akin to the grunt of a zombie. Worm (noun) : Any type of burrowing, elongated invertebrate with a soft, limbless body. (Is that a description of a real creature or a monster from a nightmare video game? Hard to say.) What makes these words ugly? It's the nature of the word's meaning, the pre-existing association the reader has with the word, or the sound and look of the word or all three! The Illustrated Compendium of Ugly English Words catalogs the ugliness from A to Z, along with each word's pronunciation guide, definition, and origin, plus quotes demonstrating usage. Illustrations on nearly every page of this hardcover make it both a hilarious reference book and the ideal gift for anyone who can't stand the sound of words like acrid, panties, gubernatorial, ointment, and squirt. More than anything, though, this compendium can be used as a reminder that, despite all of our differences, deep down we all share the same hopes, the same dreams, and the same primal hatred for the terms that make us go, Ugh, why would you even say that?!

Genres: Language

224 pages, Hardcover

Published July 16, 2019

Reviews

[Susan Emmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing first book from a new young author, Tyler Vendetti. The incredible illustrations and cover and all other design elements are the work of Rebecca Pry.
The genesis of the book, according to the author, was signing up for Latin instead of continuing a reluctant study of Spanish. "Astronaut" was the initial key word, loaded with Latin. Refreshing to read that Vendetti simply wanted to learn Latin instead of studying a language for other more practical or esoteric reasons. And that "More than anything...this compendium can be used as a reminder that, despite all our differences (physically, politically, romantically), deep down, we all share the same hopes, the same dreams, and the same primal hatred for the terms that make us go, 'Ugh, why would you even say that?'"
So follow the alphabet through the Land of Ugly Words! My favorites? Baclwash. Barf. Bodacious. Catawampus. Chork. Fart. Hairball. Kumquat .Lickspittle. Loogie. Lugubrious. Nudnick. Ooze. Phlegm. Queasy. Reek. Schmear. Slubberdegullion. Squish. Turgid. Unctuous. Uvula. Yolk. Zit.
So much to learn from this fine and funny tome!

[meg (the.hidden.colophon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think my expectations for this book were misaligned with what was ultimately delivered from it.

I thought this was going to be more of an exploration on truly ugly and obscure words (like kakorrhaphiophobia or grandiloquent), their definitions, and where they come from. Instead, this book focused more on gross or cringey words. It did explore the etymology and/or definition for some of the entries, but not all of them, and not always together.

I expected the somewhat humorous delivery of the content, but some of the jokey descriptions were a little clichéd, and sometimes detracted from the actual knowledge acquired from learning a new word. For example, one of the entries describes a situation in which makes this word “cringey”, but never gives a clear definition as to what it is. Additionally, some of the slang definitely dates the book, and some of the jokes may no longer land in the future.

Despite my issues with it, I found the book to be entertaining, and got a couple of good quotes from it (all of them quoting someone else, though):

Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over my body - Roger Corless, Vision of Buddhism: The Space Under the Tree

The thoroughly well-informed man — that is the modern ideal. And the mind of the thoroughly well-informed man is a dreadful thing. It is like a bric-a-brac shop, all monsters and dust, with everything priced above its proper value - Oscar Wilde

This compendium was entertaining but I don’t think it’s one I’ll hold on to. It’s too mature and pop-culture-referency to give to kids for the purpose of word acquisition; too slangy to give to someone learning English for the same reason; too simplified for a word nerd like me.

Edit: The illustrations by Rebecca Pry are an excellent addition to this book and they were my favorite part about it!

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviously marketed as a children's read, I loved this title. A collection of words that make folks young and old cringe at the thought. Each entry has a definition, a fact and often an accompanying illustration. So much fun to work my way through. I would absolutely recommend it for the youngsters in your life that are just discovering words and meanings (like my 3rd grade granddaughter). Or as a bathroom read for your husband. :)

[Amy Navarre · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is indeed cringe-worthy, but I must give credit where credit is due: it is also hilarious. Although, a few of the definitions were a bit dubious. I must say Tyler Vendetti did a fabulous job in finding appropriate quotes to include throughout this book.

[Araz Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I might be biased, but how fun! Thoroughly researched words, thoughtfully crafted, and totally delightful.