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Description and Opinions
Product Description:
From the creator of the popular A.Word.A.Day e-mail newsletter A collection of some of the most interesting stories and fascinating origins behind more than 300 words, names, and terms by the founder of WordSmith.org. Did you know: There’s a word for the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell? Petrichor, combining petros (Greek for stone) and ichor (the fluid that flows in the veins of Greek gods). An illeist is one who refers to oneself in the third person. There’s a word for feigning lack of interest in something while actually desiring it: accismus. For any aspiring deipnosophist (a good conversationalist at meals) or devoted Philomath (a lover of learning), this anthology of entertaining etymology is an ideal way to have fun while getting smarter.
A really cool book that I read and gave as a gift too 
The Dork, Diglot.......is a great book especially if you like words--and I do. I read it cover to cover and the author even sent a signed bookplate. I gave it as a gift at Christmas and it was much appreciated.
I recommend this author of "Wordsmith" and his new book!
Words, words, words 
I gave this book to a friend who, like me, enjoys words.
She loved it.
t
Delightful
A delightful meander through the etymology of something we take for granted daily. Fuel your brain and astound your peers at the same time.
`Each word has a story'
The Word a Day eMail and newsletter are welcome deliveries into my inbox. The two previous Word a Day books are already on my bookshelf, and when I heard about this one, I had to have it as well.
This book is a delightful collection of some of the lives and origins of words. Why, I wonder, is the word `prepone' in everyday use in India, but not elsewhere? Most of us have had meetings either preponed or postponed but few of us used preponed instead of `brought forward'.
My personal favourite word in this collection (today, anyway) is `resistentialism'. This is the theory that inanimate objects demonstrate hostile behaviour towards us. A theory? No, I think it is irrefutably true.
As I browse through the book, I see some old favourites such as `oleaginous'. If I was a musician, I would undoubtedly be aware that a hemidemisemiquaver describes an eighth of a quaver.
There are some neat little puzzles in the book as well: What is the only state in the USA that has the whole USA in it?
If you enjoy the wonderful world of words, you may wish to make space for this book on your bookshelf.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Fun
I bought this as a present but I peeked at it before wrapping. Then I wanted it for myself. It's fun and covers very unusual words.
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