false 74676 0 0 335439 0571197302 9780571197309 8 <![CDATA[The F-word]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173843673m/335439.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/335439.The_F_word 4.00 20 The F-Word earned its title the hard way: editor Jesse Sheidlower and the staff of Random House combed vast numbers of books, magazines, films, and other works for references to the most beloved, least printable word in the English language and all its variations. There's some great reading here among the hundreds of citations, from the colorful dialogue of Gore Vidal to the military's creative use of intensifiers to boost morale. Of special interest are the acronyms and abbreviations incorporating the Word; after reading the entry for "BUFF," you might think twice before complimenting your gym-going friends.

The care and attention each entry receives makes The F-Word a pleasure to use or browse, whether looking up an obscure phrase from an Iceberg Slim book or finding new insults for your next flame war. Ross MacDonald's illustrations are cute and funny (but not pornographic) and help to defuse some of the tension that might result from exposure to undiluted profanity. The F-Word throws much-needed light on one of the most-used English words; if you want to learn to swear correctly, RTFM--Read the [ahem] Manual. --Rob Lightner

]]> 74676 4.03 36 10 6540659 0195393112 9780195393118 0 <![CDATA[The F-Word]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6540659-the-f-word 4.50 2 In a thoroughly updated edition of The F-Word, Jesse Sheidlower offers a rich, revealing look at the f-bomb and its illimitable uses. Since the fifteenth century, no other word has been adapted, interpreted, euphemized, censored, and shouted with as much ardor or force; imagine Dick Cheney telling Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy to "go damn himself" on the Senate floor--it doesn't have quite the same impact as what was really said. Sheidlower cites this and other notorious examples throughout history, from the satiric sixteenth-century poetry of James Cranstoun to the bawdy parodies of Lord Rochester in the seventeenth century, to more recent uses by Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Ann Sexton, Norman Mailer, Liz Phair, Anthony Bourdain, Junot Diaz, Jenna Jameson, Amy Winehouse, Jon Stewart, and Bono (whose use of the word at the Grammys nearly got him fined by the FCC).
Collectively, these references and the more than one hundred new entries they illustrate double the size of The F-Word since its previous edition. Thousands of added quotations come from newly available electronic databases and the resources of the OED, expanding the range of quotations to cover British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Irish, and South African uses in addition to American ones. Thus we learn why a fugly must hone his or her sense of humor, why Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau muttered "fuddle duddle" in the Commons, and why Fanny Adams is so sweet. A fascinating introductory essay explores the word's history, reputation, and changing popularity over time. and a new Foreword by comedian, actor, and author Lewis Black offers readers a smart and entertaining take on the book and its subject matter.
Oxford dictionaries have won renown for their expansive, historical approach to words and their etymologies. The F-Word offers all that and more in an entertaining and informative look at a word that, while now largely accepted as an integral part of the English language, still confounds, provokes, and scandalizes.]]> 74676 4.03 36 10 80800 3.44 1030 264 1406580 0380978121 9780380978120 0 <![CDATA[It Word]]> http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1406580.It_Word 5.00 1 74676 4.03 36 10 1406579 0375702458 9780375702457 0 <![CDATA[Jesse's Word of the Day: www.jessesword.com]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183351044m/1406579.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1406579.Jesse_s_Word_of_the_Day_www_jessesword_com 5.00 1 is that mysterious third word that ends "gry"? How did pig Latin get its name? What's the difference between i.e. and e.g.? Ask Jesse Sheidlower, senior editor for Random House Reference, whose Web site Jesse's Word of the Day has just made the transition to old-fashioned perfect-bound paper. The book compiles a few hundred of the most entertaining questions and answers from the site; Sheidlower's sense of humor shines as he explains word history and usage with breezy, snappy prose that would never make it into a dictionary. Whether used as a handy guide to some common English-language problems or simply browsed for pleasure, Jesse's Word of the Day will entertain, amuse, and educate anyone interested in the sometimes bizarre words we use every day. --Rob Lightner ]]> 74676 4.03 36 10