Reviews (2)

Very Helpful
This book is a very nice supplement to the 20 volume OED. It has 2 main parts: Indispensible guide for the new OED user
I had the compact edition of the first edition of the OED for several years, but I rarely used it. The print was pretty small, but the main reason was that I apparently didn't understand the arrangement scheme andmethods employed by the OED.I bought this guide recently, just to seeif I was missing anything crucial. It cleared up my understanding in somany ways; I was persuaded to buy the full 20 volume set of the 2ndedition.I recommend this book to anyone who uses the OED or isthinking about using it, and wants to use it to its fullest capacity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    3. English Lexicography    4. English language    5. Etymology    6. History and criticism    7. Lexicography    8. Literary Criticism    9. Oxford English dictionary    10. Reference    11. Dictionaries    12. English    13. Reference / Dictionaries    14. Reference | English Dictionaries   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Reference    6. Usage    7. Vocabulary    8. Word Lists    9. English    10. Grammar & vocabulary    11. Reference works    12. Writing & editing guides   

Features

• Facsimile

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Language    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Vocabulary    7. Word formation    8. English    9. Language & Linguistics   

Reviews (2)

Dirty Jokes for the Thinking Person
The author notes in the beginning that there are off color jokes that take their humor from a more refined perspective -- puns, plays on words, etc.The book holds true to its promise.This is not the kind of book that you read all at onece, but sample a bit at a time -- maybe something to have handy . . . in the bathroom.

Simply Sinfully Punny
I had lots of fun with this book.Mr. Lederer, I blame you for the lost hours of sleep!:-)There are parts of the book that I wouldn't want kids to see, but it's mostly harmless.My favourite is the poem where the last line of each stanza is missing a word which based on the rhyme would be quite risque, but it's a riot when you see what happens at the beginning of the next stanza.Read more

Subjects:  1. English Lexicography    2. Form - Jokes & Riddles    3. Form - Limericks & Verse    4. General    5. Humor    6. Language    7. Sex    8. Reference / Writing Skills   

Reviews (14)

A good vocabulary book
I've been living in US for 7 years. I don't have problem in my daily conversations and readings. However, I want to really learn how to use these words in my formal writing and speaking situations. These words are really good ones to know. I am still in the early stage of the book. I really enjoy it so far.

Excellent book
I would say this is one of the best books in the market. You learn 5 words a day with context taken fromnewspapers and books.There are exercises at the end of each day and at the end of each week.Like this they make up 1100 words.15 minutes a day is what we need to spend on this book. This is all we all need. Another good book is The Wizard Of OZ Vocabulary Builder.

1100 words you need to know
it is very helpful to my son. He copies the stories every morning. He got excellent scores at sat test. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. English Lexicography    3. Reference    4. Vocabulary    5. Dictionaries    6. English   

Subjects:  1. 1709-1784    2. 18th century    3. Dictionaries - General    4. Dictionary of the English lang    5. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    6. English Lexicography    7. English language    8. General    9. History    10. History and criticism    11. Johnson, Samuel,    12. Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784    13. Language    14. Language Arts & Disciplines    15. Lexicography    16. Literary Criticism    17. Literature - Classics / Criticism    18. Publishing    19. Dictionaries    20. Dictionary of the English language    21. English    22. Johnson, Samuel    23. Johnson, Samuel,--1709-1784.--Dictionary of the English language    24. Language Arts & Disciplines / Publishing    25. Literary studies: 16th to 18th centuries   

Reviews (1)

Interesting approach to the 21st Centuryjob market
In the high tech world where resumes and cover letters are pre-processed electronically, every edge you can get is worthwhile. Nowadays a highly qualified candidate can be completely shut out of the interview process simply by the words that they use in their correspondance with thecompany.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business & Economics / Careers    3. Career/Job    4. Careers - General    5. Careers - Resumes    6. Careers / Job Opportunities    7. Dictionaries    8. English Lexicography    9. English language    10. Glossaries, vocabularies, etc    11. Resume Writing    12. Resumes (Employment)    13. Râesumâes (Employment)    14. Technical Writing   

Reviews (1)

Idioms
Learning idioms is an essential element for English as a Second Language students. This book not only contains an extensive list of useful and commonly used idioms but, in contrast to others, includes exercises with each lesson helping ensure that the material is remembered. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Dictionaries - General    3. English Lexicography    4. English language    5. Idioms    6. Problems, exercises, etc    7. Reference    8. Textbooks for foreign speakers    9. United States    10. English    11. Usage guides   

Editorial Review

"Laptop," "quality time," "politically correct," "wannabe," and "spin doctor"--these terms are all such mainstays of our modern-day vernacular that it's hard to believe they are only about 15 years old. It seems equally unlikely that, even in the year 1150, a person could live life in the "fast lane," eschewing his own "flesh and blood" and "sleeping with a comely whore" at his "summerhouse." Such a "witless turd" could even "tap" an "ice-cold keg," after which he might just "spew" his "guts" out. This hefty volume is sure entertainment for anyone interested in knowing that the word "smooch" is about 350 years older than the word "oink," that in the 1600s a "prick" was a nice guy, and that women were getting "knocked up" by the year 1665 (a good 30 years, for what it's worth, after the first recording of the phrase "women's rights"). Read more

Reviews (4)

Indispensable Reference tool for Writers
For writers of historical fiction, plays, or screenplays, this is an indispensable tool, as important as a dictionary.It not only helps you avoid anachronisms, it introduces you to words you never would have found by any other means.Other reviewers have described the format, so I won't go over that, but I want people to know that this book deserves 1,000 stars!

great reference for writers of historical fiction
So many times I see historical writers using words I know does not go back to that era.Etymology is often left off from even good dictionaries these days in effort to cut costs and online website dictionary totally ignore this part, so there is often no quick reference to check when words came into use.This book fills that gap.
A Plenteous and Pure Tome of the English Tongue
This book belongs in your collection if you are interested in word useage through time. This book is particularly useful when you want to give your historical writing that extra oomph, and you want to use the right word for the right time. Read more

Subjects:  1. Chronology    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Glossaries, vocabularies, etc    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Lexicology    8. Linguistics    9. Reference    10. English    11. Historical & comparative linguistics    12. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Epithets    5. General    6. Humor    7. Nicknames    8. Terms and phrases   

Subjects:  1. English Lexicography    2. English Semantics    3. English language    4. Etymology    5. Language    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Lexicography    8. Semantics    9. Mathematical theory of computation    10. Spanish   

Reviews (1)

Gem of a book
First of all the posted Editorial Reviews posted above have nothing to do with this gem of a book.If you love words both familiar and unfamiliar and are curious about what the favorite words of celebrities, writers, humorists and others are, you will delight in this book and reach for it every time you are looking for a new eccentric word to impress your friends with. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. Anecdotes    3. English Lexicography    4. English language    5. Lexicology    6. Quotations    7. Reference    8. Sociology    9. Vocabulary    10. English    11. Lexicography    12. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Artificial Intelligence - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Science    4. Computers    5. Data processing    6. English Lexicography    7. English language    8. Grammar    9. Grammar, Comparative and gener    10. Grammar, Comparative and general    11. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    12. Lexicology    13. Morphology    14. Morphology (Linguistics)    15. Computers / Artificial Intelligence    16. English    17. Natural language & machine translation   

Reviews (1)

A humorous, informed and informative guide
Words, Words, Words: Houghmagandie, Knockers, Trolleys & Others by linguist and academician Diarmaid O Muirithe (former Senior Lecturer in Irish, University College Dublin), expertly probes lexicography, dialect, sexual practices, sport and social history to create a humorous, informed and informative guide for non-specialist general readers to some of the more obscure and bizarre byways of the English language. Words, Words, Words is especially recommended to the attention of students of etymology and as well anyone else with an interest in the humor and diversity of the world's dominant language for business, international government, science, and global culture.
Read more

Subjects:  1. English Etymology    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Etymology    5. General    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Vocabulary    10. English    11. Sociolinguistics   

Subjects:  1. English Lexicography    2. English language    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Programmed instruction    5. Suffixes and prefixes    6. Vocabulary    7. English    8. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)   

Subjects:  1. Congresses    2. Dictionaries - General    3. Encyclopedias and dictionaries    4. English Lexicography    5. English language    6. History and criticism    7. Language    8. Lexicography    9. Linguistics    10. Popular Culture - General    11. Reference   

Subjects:  1. Alphabet    2. English Lexicography    3. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    4. Programmed instruction    5. Vocabulary    6. English    7. Usage guides   

Reviews (1)

A must for any Word or puzzle fan!
This book worths 6 stars. It contains a glossary of "special" words and interesting charts of words, in the puzzle and the-word-it-self sense. For example, what is the longest common word containing mostconsecutive letters in the alphabet after letter c? You can look up theglossary and find the answer is "disenfranchising" What wordrepeats most s's? the answer is possessionlessnesses. For a word or apuzzle fan, this is a must. For common readers, even merely skip somepages, you can wonder at so many words with its special property. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. English Lexicography    3. English language    4. Games    5. Glossaries, vocabularies, etc    6. Language    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Lexicology    9. Linguistics    10. Miscellanea    11. Reference    12. Vocabulary    13. Word & Word Search    14. Word games    15. English    16. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)    17. Puzzles & quizzes   

Reviews (1)

You'll Smile, You'll Laugh, You'll Cringe...
...at every cliche in this book. Ms. Rosenthal and Mr. Dardess quizzed every in law, every outlaw, every aunt and uncle, parent and grandparent available, scribbled on the back of cocktail napkins, woke up in the middle of the night to scratch on the back of a light bill envelope to get all the cliches anyone could ever imagine and some that no one would ever have thought of...the cartoons, (listed as being done by the CRAG and Peter Lavigna) are hilarious, too. A chicken depositing eggs on the highway divider is "laying it on the line" and Bowser in his canine residence while consuming a frankfurter shows us "it's a dog eat dog world" (rimshot!).... Anyhoo, there are hilarious dialogs like "Mr. Arbuthnot and the Meaning of life" and "Mom and Pop And Sis And Junior" arguments that will make you sick with glee and tickled pink on how cleverly several cliches are placed in context of a conversation or two or three...the index alone is a wealth of information. Or a cavern of puns, however you look at it. You will fully enjoy this one. And when you finish, hand this book over to a friend, so he/she can get a kick out of it, also. (You know stacking my reviews with a boat load of cliches is right up my alley. Why did you think I could not resist tossing a few more logs in the fire in 'this' review ...?) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cliches    2. Clichâes    3. English Lexicography    4. English language    5. General    6. Humor    7. Idioms    8. Reference    9. Style    10. Terms and phrases   

Subjects:  1. English Lexicography    2. Language    3. Lexicology    4. Study and teaching    5. Vocabulary    6. English    7. Usage guides