Nearly 2,000 words—including the ones you meant to look up but didn’t… things you didn’t know the names for… interesting concepts and unusual practices… and much more.
﹡ Witty, elegant, and quirky quotations from literature and journalism: excellent examples of the words in use, by the most skillful writers.
﹡ Vintage illustrations, jokes, and anecdotes.
﹡ A list of “The Ones You Really Should Know.”
﹡ Organized by category: personality types… “Things You Don’t Run Into Every Day”… Shakespearean vocabulary… terminology from architecture, art, music, law, and religion… and more.
﹡ The perfect book for your bedside table.
Whether you’re a writer, a reader, a teacher, or just someone who enjoys language, you’ll find delights on every page of The Word-Lover’s Lexicon.
What can you do with The Word-Lover’s Lexicon?
- Read it for pleasure: in bed before going to sleep, or on the train to work. You can even keep a copy in the john.
- Open to any random page when you want to be amused. Or read it from beginning to end, so you won’t miss anything.
- Give it to the literature lover in your life.
- Win at Scrabble.
A few samples:
overweening arrogant, overconfident, insolent
“Engaged. Donald Trump, 45, overweening casino developer, and Marla Maples, 27, his on-again, off-again girlfriend.” — Time magazine, 1991
mesomorph (“MEZZ-ə-morf”) a powerful, muscular person of medium stature
“Behold the manly mesomorph / Showing his splendid biceps off.” — W.H. Auden, Nones
marmoreal (“mar-MORE-ee-əl”) like marble: cold, smooth, white, hard; or made of marble
“The marmoreal cool of Debbie Harry and the band’s razor-sharp duds plastered across TV screens helped define the nascent new wave genre…” — from an article in Billboard magazine, 2020
provident (“PRAHV-e-dənt”) frugal; making foresightful arrangements for future needs
“My suspender broke and had it not been for my provident habit of carrying a supply of safety pins with me, I should have had an awkward day of it.” — from a letter by Vanessa Bell, in her Selected Letters
haboob (“ha-BOOB”) in Sudan, a strong wind that carries sand from the desert
“…if I hadn’t been wearing goggles she might’ve blinded me with that haboob she created.” — Lucy Ellmann, Ducks, Newburyport (The narrator is describing a traumatic experience with a dental hygienist’s abrasive cleaning device.)
rutilant (“ROO-tə-lənt”) glowing or glittering with a reddish or golden light
“He had a round head as bare as a knee, a corpse’s button nose, and very white, very limp, very damp hands adorned with rutilant gems.” — Vladimir Nabokov, Ada
uxorious (“ək-SOR-ee-əss”) excessively devoted to or fond of one’s wife; or submissive to her wishes
“The uxorious Hoosier, whose political career seemed deader than Lazarus or Myspace two years ago, is now a heartbeat… away from being leader of the free world.” — from an article about Mike Pence in Newsweek, 2017
adventitious (“ad-ven-TIH-shəss”) unplanned; acquired by accident; not inherent
“People often think of me as an adventurous fellow; nothing could be farther from the truth. My adventures were always adventitious, always thrust on me, always endured rather than undertaken.” — Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn
Nimrod a skilled hunter: often used ironically (from a descendant of Noah, mentioned in Genesis)
In a Looney Tune, Daffy Duck addresses Elmer Fudd as “my little Nimrod.” Audiences didn’t recognize the Biblical/literary reference, and understood the word to mean “inept fool.” It has had that additional meaning ever since.
• • •
Note: The book doesn’t include an index, but I made one, belatedly. If you own the book and want the index, send me an email—MikeLaser@comcast.net.