Grandiloquent Words: A Pictoric Lexicon of Ostrobogulous Locutions

by Jason Travis Ott

This recondite caboodle of glosses panegyrizes the boggles of our palaver.* Words confirm and deny, guarantee and deceive, elucidate and obfuscate. The more words you know, the better you can express yourself and the more you can do in life. The founder of Grandiloquent Word of the Day accordingly presents a voluptuary of verbiage encompassing rare and obscure terms that confound or delight, antiquated argot from myriad epochs, and lexemes for venturesome bibliophiles. Featuring a short, insightful introduction,  Grandiloquent Words  offers more than 250 preternatural terminologies for you to ingurgitate and brandish with aplomb for countless occasions. Bask in cataracts of mundane morphemes, bookish locutions, beef-witted blatteroons, corporeal catastrophes, playful patois, and jolly jubilations. These always-extra expressions encompass timeless topics and modern phenomena, painting a group portrait of our foibles and joys. Replete with pronunciations, etymologies, examples, and whimsical illustrations, it will edify and entertain.   *This rare collection of definitions celebrates the marvels of our language. 225 line drawings

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Linguistics, Writing, History

256 pages, Hardcover

Published November 7, 2023

Reviews

[Fred Neidhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Travis Ott has put onto paper what he has done for years online, words. Yes, thousands of people do that, but almost none use the words he does. At least no one in hundreds of years, in many cases. Beautiful illustrations accompany words that fell out of favor, or never really gained favor, that are defined in often humorous ways. It's like a dictionary of words you've never heard of but not in alphabetical order, so using it as one is nearly impossible, unless you just memorize the words and meanings, which would then mean you wouldn't need it as a reference. Lexicographers like myself will surely enjoy this collection of selected words. And, if like me, other lexicographers will try to insert them into conversation like a round peg into a square hole, hammering if necessary, and no doubt leaving the other members of the conversation confused and possibly even scared. All said, I highly recommend this work.

[R Afubera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore the cleverness of this book, with its beautifully illustrated examples of usage for each fussy-in-a-fun-way word & its definition. Edutainment & artistry at its best!!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored this book and will be going back to it often. Kudos to the author! More, please!

[carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book! I was surprised I knew a few words on here. Learned a lot of new words lol.

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is a dictionary. Ultimately, it’s a book to keep near your writing area for quick reference to interesting—if obscure—words. It’s not necessarily something you’ll read from cover to cover in place of a novel or a non‑fiction narrative.

In Grandiloquent Words, you’ll find new ways to express your feelings about the current president of the United States using terms like plebicolist— “Someone who courts the favor of the common people; a populist; a demagogue.” You might even be inclined to call him a bedlamite— “A lunatic or maniac.” As you meander through its pages, you’ll encounter words that would give him no small reason to swivet— “1. An agitated state of mind: anxiety or panic; 2. A sense of urgency.”

Amid the unfamiliar vocabulary, you’ll also stumble across the occasional delight like bumbershoot— “A collapsible canopy, usually black, wielded against the rain: an umbrella.” My gran used that word all the time. Another such offering is gimcrack— “Ostentatious but worthless; gaudy or gimmicky.”

In short, Grandiloquent Words belongs on the desk of every bibliophagist— “A passionate reader of books.” As someone who delights in curating reading experiences, I found it a razor‑edged little companion—one that earns its place within arm’s reach for readers who prefer their vocabulary with bite.

[Rebecca Fung · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun book for the word lover. I read it through from beginning to end as suggested however I do think this is the kind of book you would prefer to have on hand to dip into occasionally and reread - unless you were already slightly familiar with many of these words you would probably want to reread to remind yourself of them.

The line drawings and the little excerpts that go with them are very cute. However this is very much just a taster and a starting point for the understanding of the words and it's the kind of thing that makes you want to find out more about them, or use them, read them more.

The general categories are quite a handy way of organising the words.

[Tea Leaves and Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully curated book, incredibly informative with pronunciations, etymologies, examples and even illustrations. I loved dipping in and out of this book to learn about a new word and marvel of our language.

If you haven’t already, check out Grandiloquent Word of the Day, as this is where the book stems from and Jason Travis Ott has brought everything together into a beautiful collection, perfect for a book lover’s shelf or coffee table.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This witty collection consists of long, “quirky” words originally posted on Facebook as an educational vocabulary page, beginning in 2012 … From “Oscitancy” thru “Dysania” to “Euneirophrenia,” these words are defined, sourced, given a pronunciation guide, a sample usage, and a clever illustration … great fun!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful trip through lesser-used English words and all their oddly specific meanings. Many of the words included should be worked back into our daily conversations if only to make our language more vibrant.

[Brian Greiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming and delightful book!

Each word has a page with the definition, pronunciation, the origin, and an old-time illustration.

Many of the words have fallen out of common usage, but I found a few that I know and have used for years.

[Aloysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delectable congregation of obscure locutions that Mr. Ott has assembled! Glad I picked it up from my local athenaeum.

[neen · Rating 3 out of 5]

my favorite has to be: "dewdropper (n): someone who revels all night and sleeps all day"

[Dick Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good light entertainment for those who love unusual, out to date words. A quick, enjoyable read with lots of pictures!