Word Perfect
Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year
Ratings2
Average rating4
'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' Pam Ayres 'Susie Dent is a national treasure' Richard Osman Welcome to a year of wonder with Susie Dent, lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner. From the real Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal story behind stealing someone's thunder, from tartle (forgetting someone's name at the very moment you need it) to snaccident (the unintentional eating of an entire packet of biscuits), WORD PERFECT is a brilliant linguistic almanac full of unforgettable stories, fascinating facts, and surprising etymologies tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again.
Tags
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
Fun!
I did this in five word bursts, sometimes multiple a day, rather than one a day to keep up with library loans period, but it was still marvelously diverting rather than overwhelming. I can't say I'll remember every word I learned about but I always enjoy etymological entertainment.
A few things I didn't expect: UK (English and Scottish) words I've never heard of.
Some entries actually include multiple words under the heading of one, and some entries fully admit that the original origin can only be guessed at.
Diving into word history also meant getting many snippets of world history in the bargain).
Getting an Englishwoman's expansion on the origin of American English words occasionally made familiar words feel foreign, odd experience, especially where the whole British Empire colonialism in history came into play. Mostly, entries acknowledged the injustices in darker moments of history.
The book's 2020 publication date meant multiple references to COVID and Trump.
