Verbatim - Softcover

For thirty years Verbatim: The Language Quarterly has published amusing, interesting and occasionally useful essays on concept, usage, jargon, wordplay, lexicography, linguistics, blunders, malapropisms and anything else remotely (or not at all) tied to the English language. Here, collected for the first time, are some of the most fascinating, funniest and strangest pieces that first debuted in its pages. With authoritative contributors such as Richard Lederer, Jesse Sheidlower, Joe Queenan, Frederic Cassidy and Bryan Garner, as well as language 'experts' of dubious distinction, Verbatim is a scintillating collection for anyone seeking the highly scholarly or the completely frivolous. From the roots of medieval words to the components of British football chants, Verbatim will offer something for everyone fascinated by the English language.'At last - Verbatim's greatest hits, linguistic bonbons from the folks who brought us Buffy-isms, tosspots, and the secret language of leatherfolk. Great fun, no matter which English (or how many Englishes) you speak.' Patricia T. O'Conner, author of Woe is I and Words Fail Me'It is not only a wild romp through the fields of language, but a useful addition to one's home library. I started making notes immediately for future reference. All language lovers are in your debt for making the best of Verbatim available in a single volume.' Hugh Rawson, author of Wicked Words

Erin McKean is the editor of Verbatim: The Language Quarterly and senior editor, US Dictionaries, for Oxford University Press. She lives in Chicago.