There's a Word for It (Revised Edition) - by Charles Harrington Elster (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Here's an irresistible invitation to discover a treasure trove of exceptional words you can use to add sophistication to your vocabulary and charm to your repartee. Consider that without realizing it you may have engaged in acokoinonia (sex without passion or desire), been bored to tears by the company of a philodox (someone in love with his or her opinions), or suffered from recurrent matutolypea (getting up on the wrong side of the bed). Presented with panache by the language connoisseur whom William Safire calls "ek-STROR-di-ner-ee," There's a Word for It will add a dash of wit to your daily life -- lest anyone mistake you for a sumph (stupid oaf) or fritlag (a good-for-nothing).

Review Quotes

"There's a Word for It reminds us of the greatness and glory of our word-rich language. Charles Elster's logoleptic lexicon is a verbivore's paradise."
-- Richard Lederer, bestselling author of Fractured English

"Anyone who enjoys playing with the English language will find this compendium charming and at times hysterical."
-- Booklist

"Chock full of wonderful ways to talk about people, places, and things: words you never knew you needed -- until now."
-- Phyllis DeBlanche, San Diego Magazine

"If the words in Reader's Digest's 'It Pays to Enrich Your Word Power' aren't providing the challenge that your vocabulary-hungry mind needs, try There's a Word for It...Elster has collected...worthy words about all kinds of people and topics."
-- Judyth Rigler, San Antonio Express-News

"If you've ever had a yen to out-Buckley William F. Buckley Jr., here's a brilliant chance to do so...Page after page, Elster amuses, entertains....And when it's all read and done, the reader will have gained a few lessons on life by observing the asides and comments that accompany the generally boisterous text."
-- Mae Woods Bell, Rocky Mountain Telegraph

"This book will be in demand by all word mavens and language lovers....Elster plumbs the oceanic depths of the English language....His collector's collection of obscure and wonderfully exact words concentrates in turn on extraordinary words relating to health and medicine, love and sex, people, religion, politics, academia, and uncommon words for everyday things....The style of the essays is conversational, though it resembles a fevered all-night conversation with an amazingly learned and wildly obsessed friend."
-- Library Journal

"Those who devour words will feast on it....Elster aims to entertain, and he succeeds. He also excites curiosity about the language."
-- Diane White, Boston Globe

About the Author

Charles Harrington Elster is the author of The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, Verbal Advantage, and other books about words. He is a guest contributor to The New York Times Magazine's "On Language" column and has been a commentator on hundreds of radio shows.