Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment Every Day

Word Perfect: Etymological Entertainment Every Day by Susie Dent is a linguistic almanac centred on words and their origins. It is presented as an everyday, day-by-day collection of etymologies, facts and stories.

Key details

• Author: Susie Dent
• Described as a linguistic almanac for every day of the year
• Focuses on etymologies and word origins
• Includes stories and facts connected to individual days
• Features examples such as Jack the Lad, stealing someone’s thunder, tartle and snaccident

Synopsis

Described as a year-long celebration of language, this book brings together stories, facts and etymologies linked to each day of the year. It ranges from the real origins of Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal background behind the phrase stealing someone’s thunder.

Alongside well-known expressions, it also highlights more unusual terms, including tartle, defined here as forgetting someone’s name at the moment you need it, and snaccident, the unintentional eating of an entire packet of biscuits.