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A review by bmwpalmer
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
5.0
4.5 stars. If you are the kind of person who would enjoy reading a whole chapter about 'irregardless,' then this book is for you. If not, move along! This book is like [b:The Professor and the Madman|25019|The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary|Simon Winchester|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407110918s/25019.jpg|1628566] but more personal; like [b:Alphabet Juice|3573608|Alphabet Juice The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Thereof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics, and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory|Roy Blount Jr.|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438568371s/3573608.jpg|3615849] but more serious.
My only unfulfilled wish: I was hoping she'd write about 'nonplussed,' a word which is now used to mean one thing, as well as (in nonstandard English) the opposite of that thing, to the point that it is now completely meaningLESS to me. She doesn't address 'nonplussed,' but she does USE it (in the chapter entitled Posh). And in the nonstandard way! I am so confused by this word and I wish it would go away.
My only unfulfilled wish: I was hoping she'd write about 'nonplussed,' a word which is now used to mean one thing, as well as (in nonstandard English) the opposite of that thing, to the point that it is now completely meaningLESS to me. She doesn't address 'nonplussed,' but she does USE it (in the chapter entitled Posh). And in the nonstandard way! I am so confused by this word and I wish it would go away.