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Susie Dent

Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment Every Day Hardcover – 28 Oct. 2021

by Susie Dent (Author)

2,356 ratings

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'Susie Dent is a national treasure' Richard Osman

'WORD PERFECT is a golden vaulted cave of fascinating and funny hidden gems' JO BRAND

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.

Print length

416 pages
Language

English
Publisher

John Murray
Publication date

28 Oct. 2021
Dimensions

14 x 3.8 x 22 cm
ISBN-10

1529371317
ISBN-13

978-1529371314
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From the Publisher

Product description

Review

I love this book. Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent and nobody writes about it more entertainingly. This is a treat for every day of the year ― GYLES BRANDRETH

Susie Dent is a national treasure ― RICHARD OSMAN

A golden vaulted cave of fascinating and funny hidden gems for people who love words, for people who aren't that bothered about words and people who don't even really like words...and that is the magic of Susie Dent. ― JO BRAND

Utterly addictive . . . unputdownable ― Daily Express

Stuffed with delightful words . . . it'll keep Scrabble fanatics and wordsmiths entertained for hours ― Radio Times

Entertaining ― Spectator

Packed full of fascinating facts -- Charlotte Heathcote ― Sunday Express

Magic -- Mark Mason ― Daily Mail

You can pick it up and be absorbed for hours ― The Press (York)

Book Description

'I love this book' Gyles Brandreth - A special new edition of the much-loved book, and the perfect present for word-lovers

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Murray (28 Oct. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1529371317
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1529371314
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14 x 3.8 x 22 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 3,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 2 in Historical & Comparative Linguistics
- 26 in Religious History of Christianity
- 43 in Cat, Dog & Animal Humour

Customer reviews:
2,356 ratings

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5 star		80%
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jobdiesel

Text is fixed but cover upside down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2020

Verified Purchase

The media could not be loaded.

This is the second copy of Word Perfect I've had. The first was recalled because it had been printed with an unedited text by the publisher. The second has the correct text, but the cover is upside down. Susie Dent deserves better. You'd think they'd make extra sure that a second print run is perfect!

63 people found this helpful

Helpful

Great format which is simply packed with interesting words

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 November 2020

Verified Purchase

In previous years I have bought my husband tear off calendars which have various topics such as a cartoon for each day or a new word for each day so when I saw this book it seemed a great alternative as he can keep it. He's also a big fan of Suzie Dent!
Before I wrapped it I had a good look through and love the format as it is simply crammed with words. Some are appropriate to the season or even month where they are used but other are just random words. Most will be new to most people but there are lots that you will already know - and it is those that has descriptions that are the most absorbing as origins are often not what you think.

26 people found this helpful

Helpful

This is a book for those who love etymology and want to broaden their range.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2021

Verified Purchase

Word Perfect from Susie Dent is a book filled with words you either don’t often hear these days or the original meaning behind these words has long been forgotten. The book is set out in a diary format, so that you have one word a day, beginning on New Years Day with the word ‘Crambazzled’ which in old Yorkshire dialect means to be prematurely aged through excess drinking, a word a lot of people could use on the 1st January.

I love finding new words and some are intriguing such as ‘Choreomania’ which is the compulsion to dance. What’s more, is that every word not only has a definition but it also contains information about its origins and a factual story about something related to it. In this case, in 1374 in the town of Aachen, Germany it is recorded that the citizens congregated en masse and began to dance uncontrollably.

This is a book that will fill those who love to learn and gain knowledge with giddy excitement. 365 words, their origins, meanings, and factual information contained in one book written in an easy-to-understand style, and with the diary format you could choose to learn one new word a day. Although I’m not quite accurate in saying just one word a day or 365 words as each word often has others contained within the information that is related to the given word, so in fact, you are getting a lot more than you would expect.

I enjoyed learning about the words. Whether they will stay in my head and I remember to use them as and when the time arises is a different matter. The book is very British and there will be words that those around the world will never have heard of. There are also some that British people will never have heard of because they are regional words never heard outside of their city of origin or mean something different in different parts of the country.

Overall, this is a book for those who love etymology and want to broaden their range.

17 people found this helpful

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BG

Loved this!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2020

Verified Purchase

A really lovely book, learned a lot from it, and written in a very friendly and warm way. Would hugely recommend it.

23 people found this helpful

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jr1

Just what I was looking for

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2020

Verified Purchase

As the presenter of a weekly chat show on local radio, I'm always on the lookout for ideas for quirky facts and figures to share with listeners and, as a writer/blogger, I love words too. So when a post on Facebook for Susie's book caught my eye I knew it was one I had to have!
With 'entymological entertainment for every day of the year', I now have the basis for a weekly feature for the next seven years and more, given that each listing includes variations on the main word of the day.
My favourite so far? Included in the entry for 19 November - CIRCUMBENDIBUS!!

14 people found this helpful

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Elsie

Entertaining but printed on poor quality paper and badly bound

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2021

Verified Purchase

Package arrived open, battered and minus any paperwork so I wasn’t pleased. Also, I expected a hardcover book to have a jacket but it didn’t and I don’t know whether there was one and it also went missing or whether it doesn’t have one. I suspect it’s the latter because it’s also printed on poor quality paper and not very well bound so I expect it will fall apart quite quickly. It’s a shame about all this because it’s an entertaining book for someone who likes words and just wants to dip in and out. I’ve only given two stars because of the poor paper quality and binding. If I were Suzie Dent, I’d look for a different publisher in future.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Words, words, words,words.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2021

Verified Purchase

I have a fascination with words and their etymology. No-one can argue with Susie Dent's encyclopaedic knowledge in this area, so what prevents my awarding this book the full five? Well, despite the load of information, the delight in discovering words that no doubt I should have known, such as 'contranyms', I feel that there is too heavy an emphasis on the eccentric, if sometimes amusing, rarities, such as 'zugzwang' and 'iddy-umpty' and the like. Often I found myself most compelled by the origins and uses of simple words such as 'book'. The book has its own idiosyncrasies, one being, the ignoring of the word in the heading, digressing to other matters and then adding a footnote on the key word at the end of the entry. No mention of the use of 'hugger-mugger' in 'Hamlet' either. Nonetheless, a valuable addition to the bookcase - a book to return to without doubt.

7 people found this helpful

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j j lake

Good stocking filler,for those who appreciate the nuances of the English language

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 October 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought for my mum who is a Countdown fanatic. She got the first version with all the miss prints. That’s ironic! May be valuable some day. If you enjoy the nuances of the English language, you will probably enjoy this book.

7 people found this helpful

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