A word a day : a romp through some of the most unusual and intriguing words in English / Anu Garg ; with Stuti Garg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Garg, Anu.

Contributor:

Garg, Stuti, 1971-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vocabulary.

English language--Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.

English language.

Genre:

Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.

Controlled vocabularies.

Physical Description:

xv, 202 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley, [2003]

Summary:

Written by the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (www.wordsmith.org), this collection of unusual, obscure, and exotic English words will delight writers, scholars, crossword puzzlers, and word buffs of every ilk. The words are grouped in intriguing categories that range from "Portmanteaux" to "Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective." Each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example -- and many feature fascinating and hilarious commentaries by A Word A Day subscribers and the authors.

Contents:

1 Animal Words 5

Crabwise

Testudinate

Gadfly

Kangaroo court

Waspish

2 Latin Terms 9

Quid pro quo

Rara avis

Sine die

Annus mirabilis

Sub rosa

3 Words to Describe People I 13

Philosophaster

Autocrat

Adamantine

Satrap

Anchorite

4 Lesser-Known Counterparts of Everyday Words 16

Epizootic

Anile

Estivate

Thegosis

Trilemma

5 Words for Odds and Ends 20

Aglet

Chad

Tittle

Grommet

Pintle

6 Reduplicatives 24

Shilly-shally

Tussie-mussie

Herky-jerky

Wishy-washy

Knick-knack

7 Discover the Theme I 27

Tessera

Hypolimnion

Decerebrate

Homonym

Extravasate

8 Gender-Specific Nouns 30

Caryatid

Telamon

Gynarchy

Androcracy

Nymphomania

Satyriasis

9 Verbs 33

Cogitate

Decoct

Perorate

Shamble

Redact

10 Coined Words I 36

Googol

Blurb

Boondoggle

Heebie-jeebies

Runcible

11 Back-Formations 40

Emote

Admix

Aesthete

Adulate

Accrete

12 Portmanteaux 43

Cremains

Cinematheque

Carmine

Birl

13 Short Words 45

Vim

Fey

Gest

Dun

Maw

14 Words That Make the Spell-Checker Ineffective 48

Impassible

Wether

Specie

Angary

Demur

15 Names for Things 51

Crossbuck

Hallux

Septum

Ocellus

Newel

16 Words Formed by Metathesis 54

Scart

Prad

Bort

Gride

Scrimmage

17 Words Not to Put on Your Resume 57

Manque

Distrait

Recreant

Garrulous

Truculent

18 A Verbal Zoo 60

Welkin

Aphelion

Endogamy

Vamoose

Epigone

19 Words from Medicine 63

Sternutation

Nosocomial

Antitussive

Prophylaxis

Aperient

20 Semordnilap 66

Avid

Ogre

Debut

Nonet

Rebus

21 Words with Color as Metaphor 69

Blue rinse

Greenmail

Brown study

Purple passage

Pink collar

22 Words That Make One Say, "I Didn't Know There Was a Word for That!" 72

Dol

Murdrum

Thalweg

Scurf

Mora

23 Wordpix 75

Verboten

Supernumerary

Epicene

Diastema

Ullage

Chevron

Maverick

Pecuniary

Pariah

Pendulous

Acclivity

Kowtow

Oology

Inebriety

26 Words with Offbeat Pluralizations 83

Opus

Occiput

Chrysalis

Numen

Virtuoso

27 Words about Relations 86

Agnate

Miscegenation

Progenitor

Enate

Primogenitor

28 Collective Nouns 89

Sounder

Nide

Skein

Skulk

Bevy

29 Positive Words 93

Sipid

Pervious

Vincible

Furl

Requite

30 Discover the Theme II 95

Dekko

Ait

Bijou

Horst

Dotty

31 Lesser-Known Synonyms of Everyday Words 98

Athenaeum

Tokology

Debark

Sartorial

Cancrine

32 Words from Speeches 102

Manacle

Chasm

Attainder

Sentient

Mirabile dictu

33 Words That Contain the Vowels AEIOU Once and Only Once 106

Armigerous

Epuration

Inquorate

Ossuary

Uvavorite

34 Coined Words II 110

Eustasy

Pangaea

McJob

Locust years

Prehensile

35 English as a Global Language 113

Nous

Dyscalculia

Timorous

Soporific

Morose

36 Eponyms 117

Fletcherize

Grinch

John Bull

Aristarch

Chicken Little

37 Words about Words I 120

Haplography

Obiter dictum

Asyndeton

Verbigeration

Brachylogy

38 Uncommon Words with Common Suffixes 124

Oniomania

Garbology

Onychophagia

Philography

Theophany

39 Words to Describe People II 127

Pertinacious

Pixilated

Oscitant

Punctilious

Pococurante

40 Ordinal Words 130

Fifth column

Fourth estate

Third degree

Second fiddle

First water

41 Words for Odds and Ends 133

Albedo

Dewlap

Chaplet

Gnomon

Finial

42 Red-Herring Words 136

Sextet

Potatory

Gyrovague

Discommode

Obsequy

43 Discover the Theme III 139

Mecca

Redd

Ogee

Vug

Plica

44 Newer Words in the Oxford English Dictionary 142

Full monty

Bad hair day

Nutraceutical

Retail therapy

Webliography

45 War of Words and Words of War 147

Pyrrhic victory

Casus belli

Fetial

Polemology

Spoliation

46 Words for Physical Characteristics Used to Describe People Figuratively 150

Louche

Clochard

Myopic

Dexterous

Ambisinister

47 Words Evolved from Folk Etymologies 154

Humble pie

Kickshaw

Wiseacre

Rakehell

Chaise longue

48 Words about Words II 157

Hobson-Jobson

Dittography

Eye dialect

Epenthesis

Idiolect

49 Words Formed Using Combining Forms 163

Misocainea

Piliform

Ichnology

Steganography

Chiromancy

50 Toponyms, or Words Derived from Place Names 167

Ultima Thule

El Dorado

Timbuktu

Stoic

Brigadoon

51 Words for Body Parts That Are Used Metaphorically 170

Visceral

Liverish

Adrenalize

Phlegmatic

Jugular

52 Red-Herring Words Revisited 173

Debridement

Escheat

Antiphony

Limpid

Sexcentenary

53 Words from Nature's Oeuvre 176

Fjord

Estuary

Peninsula

Archipelago

Massif

54 Words about People Who Love Books 179

Bibliophage

Bibliophile

Bibliotaph

Biblioklept

Bibliophobe

55 Mondegreens and Other Linguistic Faux Pas 183

Mondegreen

Spoonerism

Malapropism.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-196) and index.

ISBN:

0471230324

OCLC:

50518792