The author has scoured arcane dictionaries, language guides, and encyclopedias to find interesting idioms and items. The entries range from grammatical quirks to the historical usages. He also solves more modern mysteries like how IKEA comes up with item names and lingo used in pizza parlors.
But it is not all nonsensical or silly. It highlights the history of the Cherokee written dictionary, lesser-known weights and measures, and important figures in language arts.
Anne Fisher was the first female English grammarian and one of the most influential of the eighteenth century. She was a teacher, an author, an entrepreneur and an all-round remarkable woman. Her most famous work, A New Grammar, was the fourth-most-published grammar book of the eighteenth century, with over eighteen editions, thirty print runs, and numerous pirated copies. She also published at least six other works and was the first woman to write a dictionary, An Accurate New Spelling Dictionary (1773). Were this not enough, Fisher co-founded the Newcastle Chronicle newspaper, co-ran a printing business and established a girls’ school, which she ran for five years. ~ Pg. 161
Importantly, the format is one that is visually interesting. The pages have small references to other entries as well as vintage-style illustrations. It all hearkens back to an earlier era of reference books. This book is pure joy. Anyone who loves words or weird trivia about language needs to check it out.
Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
Publication date: October 14, 2025
Print length: 240 pages (English)
ISBN-10: 1668098849