A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English

by Anu Garg, Stuti Garg

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Becca]

I found this book disappointing. The words didn't seem unusual or intriguing to me. Most of them were either every day words, one's with origins I could have easily guessed, or something so obscure you'd never use it.

My favorite part of this book, the part I actually ended up reading through the book for, was the witty quotes from notable people at the bottom of most pages.

[Jennifer (JC-S)]

I've owned this book for three years but I've only just got around to posting a review, and here's a link to it:

http://tinyurl.com/yqpdlx

I recommend visiting the A Word a Day website:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html

I subscribe to their daily eMail and look forward to receiving it each day.

[Rebekah]

Pretty fun for killing time, or you can just subscribe to the e-mails.

[Becky Pliego]

A fun way to add new words to your vocabulary.

[Debbi]

This is an enjoyable book giving the background of several hundred words. It's a very fast read (I read it in a matter of a few hours).

[Wendy Schill]

Great word choices, but pitifully short chapters! Why only four or five words per theme???

[Geordie]

A collection of unusual and intriguing English words. Whether you're trying to enhance your vocabulary, or just have a bit of fun with the absurdities of the English language, this book is well worth reading. Definitions and example sentences are well made and clear, and there's a lot of love of language in the set-up of each chapter. I'd definitely read it again, and hope more will be collected soon.

[Correen]

Words divided into categories, definitions and examples of use, interesting side stories, and fun commentary. I did more than a word a day but may try it again in a less hurried manner. It is fun just to look up a section and read the humor.

[Helen]

This was a fairly interesting book. It told the histories of a variety of words you might want to learn. Not too special, though.

[Terry]

Informative and entertaining. If your a fan of etymology, this is for you.

[Irina Goldberg]

This book took me forever to get through because it was a dictionary. Still, it was a very fun dictionary to read and I really enjoyed it.

[Glenn]

A great read for a minute or an hour - a ton of new words, their origins and amusing stories, and a light context to absorb it all in. I'll be happy to lend it to anyone, but looking forward to receiving it back as a fun reference.

[Brian]

love anu's awad list. great attention to detail

[Therese]

As a copywriter, my sister bought me these books and love them. There are some crazy words and if you are looking for a fun gift for a wordsmith you can't go wrong with A Word A Day. Love it!

[Velvet Jones]

Witty!

[Rebecca]

Book about words and where they come from, what's not to love?

[Mary]

Great fun!