The Accidental Dictionary

The Accidental Dictionary PDF Author: Paul Anthony Jones
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781783964383
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 224

Book Description
Brimming with hidden histories and tantalising twists, The Accidental Dictionary tells the extraordinary stories behind ordinary words. Our everyday language is full of surprises; its origins are stranger than you might think. Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past. Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man, nice meant ignorant, glamour was magic and a cupboard was a table... Focusing on 100 surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words. "A real delight ... hidden gems nestle on every page" -- JaffaReadsToo "The Accidental Dictionary is certainly worth adding [to a bookshelf]... I knew very few of these, which is a good thing, and now I know more, which is a better one" -- Marcus Berkmann, Spectator Christmas books 2016

The Accidental Dictionary

The Accidental Dictionary PDF Author: Paul Anthony Jones
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1681775859
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
Our everyday language is full of surprises; its origins are stranger than you might think. Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past.Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man; nice meant ignorant; glamor was magic; and a cupboard was a table. Buxom used to mean obedient; a cloud was a rock; raunchy originally meant dirty.Focusing on one hundred surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.

The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate

The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate PDF Author: Eugene Ehrlich
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061746797
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Book Description
Between TV talk shows, radio call-in programs, email and the Internet, spontaneous-talk media has skyrocketed in the '90s. People are interacting more frequently and more fervently than ever before, turning the English language into an indecipherable mess. Now, this unique and concise compendium presents the most confused and misused words in the language today -- words misused by careless speakers and writers everywhere. It defines, discerns and distinguishes the finer points of sense and meaning. Was it fortuitous or only fortunate? Are you trying to remember, or more fully recollect? Is he uninterested or disinterested? Is it healthful or healthy, regretful or regrettable, notorious or infamous? The answers to these and many more fascinating etymological questions can be found within the pages of this invaluable (or is it valuable?) reference.

Virilio Dictionary

Virilio Dictionary PDF Author: John Armitage
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 0748682317
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 264

Book Description
The first dictionary dedicated to the work of Paul Virilio, offering you clear and contemporary direction through the work of Virilio, the French critic of art and technology.

Critical Dictionary

Critical Dictionary PDF Author: David Evans
Publisher: Black Dog Pub Limited
ISBN: 9781907317491
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 189

Book Description
"Critical Dictionary is an ambitious cornucopia of thoughts, images, and illustrations from online art magazine criticaldictionary.com. Inspired by Georges Bataille's critical dictionary, the project strives to declassify terms in a playful manner emphasising the open-ended, the provisional and the unfinished nature of language. The title alludes to the mock dictionary that Georges Bataille edited for Documents in 1929 and 1930. Like its famous precedent from Georges Bataille, Critical Dictionary aims to puncture pretension, bringing words and their referents down to earth using a playful manner to declassify or undefine terms. Abandoning the conventional approach of dictionaries and their solely supportive use of imagery, Critical Dictionary allows images to act progressively and many of the entries are illustrated by several examples leading to an evolving discussion on interpretation. Critical Dictionary includes contributions from artists, illustrators and photographers including Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin, David Campany, Common Culture, Karen Knorr, Ann Lee, Jake Walters and Penelope Umbrico. Entries include Accident, Civilization, Drone, Error, Fragment, Informe, Metaphor, Monument: Mycelium, Portrait, Quotation, Retort, Smell, Touch, Umfunktionierung, Voice, Wander, XXX and Zoo. Critical Dictionary provides a thought provoking take on language and preconception through unique imagery and the playful re-organisation of texts and images."--Site Web de l'éditeur.
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