Normal view MARC view ISBD view

The word detective: A life in words from serendipity to selfie / John Simpson

By: Simpson, John [author]Material type: Text

TextPublication details: New York : abacus, c2016Description: xvi, 366 pages : illustrations ; 20 cmISBN: 978-0-349-14100-8Subject(s): AUTOBIOGRAPHIES | OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY | SIMPSON, J. A., 1953- | LEXICOGRAPHES GRANDE-BRETAGNE BIOGRAPHIES | LEXICOGRAPHERS GREAT BRITAIN BIOGRAPHY | LEXICOGRAPHERS | GREAT BRITAIN | ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEXICOGRAPHY | BIOGRAPHIESLOC classification: PE 64 S56 2016

Contents:

Introduction: the background to the case Serendipity, perhaps Lexicography 101 Marshallers of words The longest way round Uneasy skanking Shark-infested waters OED redux The tunnel and the vision Gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk At the top of the crazy tree Shenanigans online Flavour of the month Becoming the past

Summary: In The Word Detective, an intensely personal memoir and a joyful celebration of English, Simpson weaves a story of how words come into being (and sometimes disappear), how cultures shape the language we use, and how we cope when words fail us. Throughout, he enlivens his narrative with lively excavations and investigations of individual words -- from deadline to online and back to 101 (yes, it's a word) -- all the while reminding us that the seemingly mundane words (can you name the four different meanings of ma?) are often the most interesting ones. A brilliant expedition through the world of words, The Word Detective will delight, inspire, and educate any lover of language.

Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title. Log in to add tags.

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings ( 1 )
Title notes ( 3 )
Comments ( 0 )

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Home library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Books	NU Fairview College LRC	NU Fairview College LRC	Non-fiction	General Circulation	GC PE 64 S56 2016 (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		NUFAI000002624

Includes index.

Introduction: the background to the case
Serendipity, perhaps
Lexicography 101
Marshallers of words
The longest way round
Uneasy skanking
Shark-infested waters
OED redux
The tunnel and the vision
Gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk
At the top of the crazy tree
Shenanigans online
Flavour of the month
Becoming the past

In The Word Detective, an intensely personal memoir and a joyful celebration of English, Simpson weaves a story of how words come into being (and sometimes disappear), how cultures shape the language we use, and how we cope when words fail us. Throughout, he enlivens his narrative with lively excavations and investigations of individual words -- from deadline to online and back to 101 (yes, it's a word) -- all the while reminding us that the seemingly mundane words (can you name the four different meanings of ma?) are often the most interesting ones. A brilliant expedition through the world of words, The Word Detective will delight, inspire, and educate any lover of language.

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.