Word perfect english book

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

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.

Lately, I have been really enjoying Susie Dent’s “word of the day” tweets, they have helped me through a rather bleak feeling winter, so I just had to pick up a copy of Word Perfect. It did not disappoint!
It contains a different word for each day of the year, followed by a story and/or the etymology. It’s endlessly fascinating how the meaning of words change over the years/centuries.
Language is fluid; beautiful and expressive. This was the ideal book to read through whilst I am currently fixated on words and language, which is a writer’s dream.
This will make for perfect writing prompts, whether for personal journaling or further, future works. I may go back over it and read one word a day starting in the new year so they don’t escape my mind, and try to write a short story or poem around each word. I want to become a better writer, I know my skills will allow it the more I practice. Then maybe one day, I shall be comfortable enough to share my work with others.

I love words…… so what is there not to like 😁
This was bought for my birthday by my friend. She knows me well. 😁

It’s tempting to call Susie Dent a walking dictionary, but she’s more often seen sitting at a desk, mostly on the quiz show Countdown, where she has been the resident lexicographer in Dictionary Corner since 1992.
The publication of her latest book caused something of a stir, as the initial print run contained numerous errors; an unfortunate irony, given its title: Word Perfect. The author had sent the final proofs for correction, but somehow the editing process failed, with Covid measures blamed for a glitch in the system. New copies were hastily printed, minus typos, though perhaps those in the original print run might end up as collectors’ items.
Susie posts a word a day on Twitter, so her editor at publishers John Murray suggested that she could compile these entries in a compendium and the result is Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment for Every Day of the Year.
An assortment of words, familiar and unfamiliar, are presented, in date order. For example, the entry for January 1st is crambazzled, an old Yorkshire word meaning prematurely aged from heavy drinking, referencing the “morning after” state revellers suffer after seeing the New Year in. It’s an unusual word to start the year, but the following entry is one we more readily associate with January: the two-headed Roman god Janus, who gave his name to the month.
This format means that the book doesn’t have to read in strict order, or even from cover to cover. It would be fine to leave out sections you find unappealing and fast forward to a more interesting bit. (Just like I do when Joe Wilkinson turns up on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.)
It’s full of interesting titbits that you can treat like a selection box of biscuits, choosing those that take your fancy and skipping over the others: rather than devouring it whole from cover to cover, it’s something you might prefer to dip into from time to time.

Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment for Every Day of the Year
Currently available in hardback priced £14.99. Publishers John Murray

‘Gigglemug’ is someone who is always, irritatingly cheerful.

‘Firkytoodling’ is an old word for intimate foreplay.

‘Mumpsimus’ is a person who insists they are right in the face of overwhelming evidence that they are wrong! eg a Brexit voter!

Susie Dent is the Uk’s most famous and popular lexicographer. She appears on television and is a prolific writer and journalist. Her knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, words and their derivations is extensive.
My copy of this book is signed ‘with love from Susie’ as I met her at The Stratford Literary Festival last year.
So, the format is simple; for evert day of the year we get an expression or word, some obscure, some common, and Susie’s witty and informed explanation of its meaning and derivation. Common words such as ‘panic’, ‘diehard’ and ‘taking the biscuit’ are included.

This is an endlessly fascinating read and I defy you to stick to the daily word because the next one is so enticing! Susie Dent is a lovely lady and I would like to think that I was the only person whose book she signed ‘with love’ but that would definitely make me a munpsimus!!!

i had so much fun reading this all year. the concept is one word every day, giving its origins and some fun facts about the day, related words and various other good info. i’m glad i stuck at it and just read my daily word every day all year (but i couldn’t set the proper dates for it on goodreads because i don’t want my average reading time messed with 😅)

really recommend this for anyone who’s interested in words and language or just fancies something very small to get into the habit of reading each day (most entries are one page or less)

OK so I haven’t read it all yet, I’m cheating. I cannot wait nearly another year to review the book though, it is by design a book to dip in to day by day. It is excellently researched and written and a joy to read. There are ‘words of the day’and these are anchored to historical events & people significant to the day. It’s interesting, informative and just a joy to visit every day. I highly recomend this

This was probably the most fun nonfiction book I’ve read. A book entirely about words could seem hit or miss, but this was super interesting. For every day of the year, Susie Dent talks about a related phrase or word and dives into its etymology. For example, “stealing someone’s thunder” refers to a man who quite literally stole a stage effect that sounds like thunder to use in his play. “Turning a blind eye” originated with the partially blind admiral Horatio Nelson being unable to see a ship coming from his side. I also learned lots of fun words like “crambazzled” and “hurkle-durkle”. It probably helps that I have a short attention span and like learning random facts. This book has piqued my interest in etymology.

Was a nice way to spend a year or so. A different word every day, not a single one that’ll be added to that old lexicon of mine. But learning something new every day is a real treat, and Susie Dent writes with a strict format that works for this sort of «one-a-day» style. Nice enough, but not too practical for those wanting to expand their pool of words.

Today I finally completed this. Was reading a word every day from the 1st of January last year but fell off about halfway through. Picked it up again in November and today I covered the last page that I missed. Great fun!

Fun! Some origins weren’t news to me, but overall this was a very interesting read that I went back to every day this year. It’s sometimes very English but that was to be expected.

Susie, it’s been a pleasure having your wonderful and intelligent company throughout this year. Rather ironically, I can’t find the exact words to express my respect and admiration for this book, but just know they’re there!

When I was younger, my family and I would sit at the dinner table every night and, as a point of discourse, ask each other what we have learnt each day. If only I had this book back then — how impressed they would have been!

Informative and witty with that Susie Dent charm, word perfect.

I read this book over a year and a half, and it was a great pleasure. It is written lightly, with a page or so for each day’s entry, and it covers words from a variety of angles — historical use, etymology, cognates, synonyms, antonyms, anecdotes related to them. While there were some super-rare words that didn’t strike me as that interesting, there was a huge number of fascinating etymologies, curious word relations, and words I would like to start using.

A trusted companion through the year 2022, first book that I started and the last book to end the year. Susie Dent takes us on a journey to unknown or forgotten English words and stories linked to them. A book to grab hold of everyday, even when finished you’ll grab it on occasions to browse to certain days.

DNF 50%.

Read the last days of December to fit in this year.

However, I am not bringing this through to 2023. I found it so dull and boring. I expected it to be a bit more interesting and it was like she had found all the dull and boring explanations ever.

I love Susie Dent’s collection of useful and fascinating words. It’s a great book for anyone who loves language.

Throughout a year of ups and downs, this book has been a happy constant. A daily dose of informative nuggets on words and phrases, some new and some familiar, but maybe not fully understood until reading their entry. I even had the pleasure of taking in Susie’s «The Secret Life of Words» tour whilst reading this, which referenced some entries from the book, but discussed a lot more. Susie Dent may seem a little quiet and mousy on Countdown, but she is very witty and has an infectious passion for words, which really came across in her stage show and also does in this book.

An entertaining and digestible introduction to etymology

Enjoyable read, fascinating but not spectacular so to speak.

Every day, a brief history of a main word, but you actually learn of many words. I really enjoy learning about how language has morphed and Dent does it in a way that is fun and easy to consume.

An almanac and etymological wonderland in one. For extra fun, get it as an audiobook to hear Susie’s pronunciations. A book I would (and have) heartily recommend to everyone.

Liked book, but with reservations

I love entomology and the origin of phrases so I quickly snagged this book. I can relate to the author as I was also an odd child, carrying books everywhere I went. Since this is a daily look at words it doesn’t get very in depth with each one. It often trails off into meanings of other words without skipping a beat which was a little confusing. Since the author is British she included many words and sayings that most Americans had never heard.

I found this book to be a delightful surprise! I had a feeling I’d like it, but didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did somehow. Not knowing what word or phrase the next day would bring was quite thrilling and the discovery was very entertaining!
I was happily surprised to discover that the word for my birthday (August 21st) is «Oxford Comma» which pleased me greatly as I am a self professed nerd for grammar!

The one note I have would be that the audio (I listened to this on Audible) dipped weirdly at times and got louder at others — I don’t know if this was somehow my sound system/phone or if it was part of the recording, but I haven’t had it with any other audio books 🤷‍♀️

Overall this audio book was a delight and definitely one that I’ll be coming back to!! 🥰

This book by the Queen of Words, Susie Dent, begs to be read every year on repeat. Susie introduces us to a new word/phrase and its origins every day — thus, you get a total of 365 words. Languages, history, geography, politics, and science all blend together, unfolding the hidden etymologies of words/phrases that may be common or completely unfamiliar to you. If you are looking to enhance your vocabulary this year or searching for secret meanings behind words that ultimately connect us all, look no further. Susie’s enthusiasm and love for languages, easily flows off the pages of the book and into your brain.

Fun read. Easy to pick up piecemeal because structured around the days of the year — an etymology a day. Would have been interesting to look into the etymologies of more current phrases. There are a few nods towards COVID etc but would have been grand to examine common words derived from our minority cultures. Perhaps saving it for another book. The entry structure varies from pretty detailed with asides to extremely brief ‘what can I say’ bits so can be a little inconsistent. These are minor complaints. Will likely keep referring back to many of the entries.

FOR GREAT START OF THE DAY/NIGHT FOR ANY LOGO.PHILE

PROs+
+ for everybody that love nothing more than discovering a new word and its inspiring context with his/hers morning drink
+ for any Latin/Greek lover who believes that «the voices of the ancients will give immediate credence to the new concoction»
+ for anybody that seeks for any kind of day intoxication with wordly taxon pharmakon for lingua kalopsia

CONs-
— as addition, missing out for the next edition for overmorrow
— some of the day-words lack seasonality of the day/presentation causing XVIII «frobly-mobly» aka ‘meh’.

it felt like it took forever to read this — 365 words is actually quite a lot of words to explore. regardless I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was so interesting. susie dent is unbelievably knowledgeable. many of the chapters were funny and charming; the ‘fuck’ chapter (perhaps predictably) actually made me laugh out loud multiple times — “and there I did see him putting the great fuck upon my weef” is one of the greatest sentences I’ve ever read

An interesting read and easy to ‘hear’ Susie Dent’s voice in it as I went along. Always interested in where words and phrases come from and some of the orgins were really surprising! Some entries were slightly less riveting, especially when I didn’t know the word/phrase in the first place, but all-in-all, quite an enjoyable read.

This book had some fun etymology in it, and I learned about a variety of words and where their origins, but the book was organized in a way that was tough to sit down and read. It was designed to read a page or two a day, which is not how I usually read a book and was tough to get into because of that.