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Who needs Sherlock Holmes when you've got a word detective? Evan Morris, whose Web site and syndicated column solve more mysteries than even Scotland Yard could manage, has assembled a book of entertaining questions and answers that will amuse, educate, and resolve arguments all at once. From "amok" to "zarf", the definitions and origins of words are explained with a delightful combination of wit and research that will leave curious readers delighted.
Each entry begins with the original question asked of Morris, complete with the writer's misspellings and misinformation, and a few of these may result in cringes from the serious wordsmiths out there. One query incorrectly remembers the metaphor "hair of the dog that bit you" as "Something like bite the dog's tail or the dog that bit you last night," and Morris makes plenty of entertaining suggestions regarding these incorrect versions before finally explaining that the phrase have been around since about 1546, and specifically refers to a hangover remedy. The author is in especially fine form while explaining the phrase "passing the bar"--who knew that it dates back to a requirement that lawyers wrestle a grizzly "bar" before entering into practice? The correct explanation follows Morris's whimsical tale, but 16th-century England just doesn't have quite the same entertainment value. Several special sections cover larger topics, such as food- and animal-based phrases (easy as pie, dog days), onomatopoeia, euphemisms, diner slang, and Yiddish expressions. While not as detailed as the alphabetical entries, words like "wreck", "mensch," and "throb" are given satisfying, if short, descriptions. --Jill Lightner
Book Description
Comic, skeptic, cyber-sleuth, syndicated columnist, and inspired wordsmith, Evan Morris is the Word Detective. He's an etymologist with a sense of humor, a lexicographer with an attitude. Morris's unique approach to language and his distinctive brand of absurdity have found a loyal following of readers curious about everything from soup to nuts--and that means the origins of the phrase soup to nuts, and thousands more words and phrases. This book is a collection of 150 of Morris's language columns, which appear in newspapers throughout the country and on his popular Web site.
A clueless husband writes the WORD DETECTIVE to ask if his wife has insulted him by calling him gormless. Coworkers write to settle a watercooler dispute about the logic of feed a cold, starve a fever. The Word Detective snoops around, follows the leads, and uncovers the answers. The book is chock-full of fascinating lore about the origins and uses of the English language and includes special sections exploring groups of words such as euphemisms, eponyms, and onomatopoeic forms. Funny and offbeat, clever and curmudgeonly, irreverent and irritable, this detective is for all of us who appreciate a dash of wit with our words.
Customer Reviews:
Elementary, my dear readers........2004-06-19
This educational, entertaining and delightful volume provides well-researched answers to interesting questions about the meaning, origin and usage of some of today's most perplexing words and phrases.
Compiled from material taken from the author's newspaper and Internet column by the same name, The Word Detective is an informative, witty, charming and fun reference for word lovers, trivia enthusiasts and armchair etymologists alike.
Organized alphabetically, irreverently written and often whimsically illustrated, each entry untangles the histories and debunks the myths behind words like jeep, sabotage, busboy and gringo, and phrases like "cup of joe," "armed to the teeth" and "pickled as an owl". You will be thoroughly informed, at the same time that you are smiling, chuckling or laughing with each explanation.
Special sections that explore related groups of words and phrases like euphemisms, metaphors, eponyms and figures of speech, among others, are also included.
A bibliography and a list of web sites devoted to words and language, especially useful to those interested in pursuing the subject further, are also added at the back of the book.
Overall, this book combines the perfect amount of humor and instruction to insure the reader a pleasurable and rewarding experience.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar
The Word Detective is a funny fellow!.......2001-05-29
A collection of lively & unusual questions & answers about the lore & laws of language. From students in word disputes with professors to relatives feuding over esoteric phrases.
From everyday eponyms to a Drinkers' Dictionary; from ludicrous euphemisms to animal metaphors; from bizarre figures of speech to onomatopoeic orations, this writer's humorous & twisted trains of thought not only show how a phrase was originally used & what a word meant, it will show you how much fun our language really is.
A wordsmith after my own heart, Evan Morris, applies his free-roaming brain cells to not only come up with plausible answers, he makes the discovery funny! An excellent gift idea - especially for your throne room!
A new meaning for "Infotainment".......2000-11-20
It's not often we find a "reference" book that delivers on the promise of its title and entertains at the same time. "The Word Detective" provides information on word and phrase origins and debunks myths about them. "Posh," for instance, isn't an acronym for "port out, starboard home." "Sabotage" wasn't coined as a result of French workers tossing their wooden shoes (sabots) into machinery. And "Welsh Rarebit" is a corruption of "Welsh Rabbit," not the other way around.
Morris's writing style combines scholarship with a wonderful sense of humor. Asked what the pundits think about a word, he replies, "I don't know that the pundits think. I had to get rid of them last week. Just the cost of pundit chow was bankrupting me, and their constant chattering was unbearable." Asked about the word "jackpot," Morris writes, "The first jackpot? Why, that would be the ill-fated Great Babylonian Pottery Lottery of 420 B.C., in which the first prize was six hundred pickled sheep packed into an enormous urn ninety Crullers (about seventy feet) tall. I understand they're still trying to catch up with the winner."
This isn't to say that the readers don't get actual, accurate answers. Morris, whose parents were the famous word experts, authors and editors William and Mary Morris, may know as much or more about word origins as anyone writing today... It's a delight from beginning to end.
EVEN BETTER THAN THE WEB SITE!.......2000-10-23
I had been a big fan of Evan Morris's Word Detective web site and was thrilled to see that this book had come out. It's laugh-out-loud funny, AND you also get all your questions answered! (Like where "posh" came from--no, it DOESN'T mean "port out, starboard home." Or like "sideburns.") Really different than all those dull-as-dishwater reference books out there. I was also intrigued by the long (and hilarious) introduction, "Sticky Dimes," about how Evan Morris got started in the family business. (His father and mother were editors and dictionary-writers.)
Plus the book itself is SO cute, inside and out. It's a chunky little detective office.
O.K., I'm done now -- I HIGHLY recommend this book, either for yourself or as a gift. (But you'll probably want to keep it once you see it.)
Book Description
After quitting her job, Melody Song is at a local beach when she is almost swept out to sea. Suddenly, a rugged, handsome stranger appears and sweeps her off her feet-a stranger straight out of the Old West.
Customer Reviews:
Sometimes Funny, Sometimes Poignant; Always Interesting.......2006-11-13
George Tyler was a small-town sheriff in the late 1800s. When presented with a chance to take a friend's place in the future, he took it, certain that he'd return to his era and mission of vengeance.
Melody Song is alone, grieving, and pregnant. When a mysterious drifter saves her from a rogue wave at the beach, she is inexplicably drawn to him. Aware of the madness of bringing a strange man into her life, she nevertheless convinces George to play the part of "Michael George Johnson," Melody's nonexistent husband, for the sake of her dying grandmother.
Aside from time travel and marital lies, Melody and George soon learn something unusual is fermenting at the Sweet Song of Summer vineyards. Late night visits and too many close calls put George's lawman instincts on edge. What he discovers while nosing around may save the vineyard, and Melody's life. What he discovers while pretending to be Melody's husband may save his soul.
This is the sequel to Beverly Long's STAY WITH ME, the time-travel romance featuring Melody's best friend Sarah, who met the love of her life after being thrown back into the year 1888. Long's easygoing narrative makes it difficult to step away from her novels, even after the last page is turned. Her characters are deep and well crafted, and the settings are as beautiful as they are detailed.
Sometimes humorous--who needs a car when a good horse will see you through--sometime poignant, and always interesting, HERE WITH ME is an endearing romance that will connect with current and future readers' hearts.
Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
11/03/2006
Book Description
Peaceful prose and classic images of women in repose initiate the harried into the sweet secret of living well—the afternoon nap. Working mothers, career women and stay-at-home moms all need encouragement to care for their well-being and happiness with a few minutes of downtime. This lovely gift book not only tells them it's ok, but also shows them how even the shortest siesta can be filled with delights—scents, sounds, flavors, fabrics—that leave a woman refreshed and renewed.
This will be the first book to:
Show how to create a personal ritual for relaxation, including luxurious locations for napping and techniques for slowing down into rest
Involve all the senses for improved harmony in life, including aromatherapy, massage and meditation techniques, sounds such as fountains, chimes and music, tactile comforts such as sheets and blankets
Recommend affordable napping indulgences, including hot and iced soothing beverages, eye pillows and other comfort enhancers
Encourage women to adopt napping as a lifestyle habit, showing them how to organize their lives to accommodate a nap
Educate the harried that napping increases good health, for example, adequate sleep has been linked to longevity
Overcome guilt by providing valid reasons to nap
Like our French sisters, who enjoy a 35-hour work week, or in Spain, where a siesta is a must, we can come to enjoy, embrace and revel in a little lovely shut-eye.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect for my mom and other moms everywhere!.......2003-11-04
My mother does too much and never takes a break. My roommate suggested Permission to Nap and I think it is perfect for my mom for the holidays. In fact, I bought one for myself, my sisters, and my aunts, too. We all seem to be work-alcohics in one way or another and frequent luxurious naps--or simply fifteen minutes of downtime every day sounds just perfect for Christmas.
American Women go play! You have permission now!.......2003-09-21
Why do I always feel guilty when I take time to play? Play tennis, golf...I feel this book is long overdue. Women need to be able to play as much as the kids and men in our lives. I bought this book to get over my guilt and to be motivated to go play when I feel the pull of "other things that I think I should be doing." I saw an article about this book in Women's World and then again in Women's Health & Fitness and then knew at that time, this is a sign--I needed to buy this book and read it. Two weeks into my play and I am so glad I have this silent mentor to keep me playing!
I needed this book!.......2003-02-21
Hi! As a mom of three adorable but exhausting children, I needed permission to nap when they did. Thanks to this book, I have created my very own nap sanctuary filled with aromatherapy--neroli is now my new favorite essential oil--velvety pillows, and a water carafe and matching cup. With this author's recommendations (see chapter 8), I started my collection of soothing music CDs. The kids now know that it is a good thing to take a nap, especially when mom heads into her haven. (Everyone knows that when mom is happy, everyone is happy.) This is my new 'must buy' gift for all my friends who are busy moms like me or are on the career track. No matter what we do, women always do too much. I now make time for me--and self care every day is a must. Time for my siesta!
Starting my Christmas shopping early!!.......2002-08-19
This is the book that I am buying for my mom, my sisters, and all of my female friends who are workaholics, working mothers (same difference), domestic engineers with little ones at home, and those expecting--they all deserve a nap. -A totally appreciative fan.
Napping wisdom.......2002-07-12
It is a book as beautiful and relaxing to look through as it is to read. And it is not only for women, as men today also need reminders to restore ourselves! Jill thankfully reminds us busy people of the simplicity of napping.
Book Description
This is a survey of recent developments in the field of cointegration, which links long run components of a pair or of a group of series. It can then be used to discuss some types of equilibrium and to introduce them into time-series models in a fairly uncontroversial way. The idea was introduced in the early 1980s and has generated much interest since then amongst econometricians and macroeconomists. The authors discuss the basic ideas in their introduction, and the final chapters review the most recent developments in the field in a non-technical way that will enable economists with some training in modern econometrics to understand and appreciate these developments.
Book Description
101 Ways To Be A Long-Distance Super-Dad…or Mom, Too! offers helpful, practical tips for parents who live or work in one place, and whose children live in another. While divorce can geographically separate a mom or dad from a child, so can military service or a job requiring travel. This book can help parents remain an important part of their children's lives. Now in its 14th printing, the book is a must for parents who want to keep in close contact with their children, but find it difficult to overcome the barriers posed by distance. Award-winning journalist George Newman draws on his experience as a divorced father, sharing valuable tips for enriching the parent-child relationship, even during physical separation.
Customer Reviews:
EXCELLENT BOOK!.......2001-08-01
This is an excellent book for long distance parenting ideas. Some are rather generic, but you can build on those to make them even more special. I recommend this book to any parent who is away or going to be away from their children for any length of time at all.
I was so impressed that I used this as a recommended book of the week in my [...] newsletter [...]!
Book Description
Long Time No See is an inspiring story, but Beth Finke does not aim to inspire. With unflinching candor and acerbic wit, she chronicles the progress of the juvenile diabetes that left her blind at the age of twenty-six as well as the seemingly endless spiral of adversity that followed. First she was forced out of her professional job. Then she bore a multiply handicapped son. But she kept moving forward, confronting marital and financial problems and persevering through a rocky training period with a seeing-eye dog.
Finke's life story and her commanding knowledge of her situation give readers a clear understanding of diabetes, blindness, and the issues faced by parents of children with significant disabilities. Because she has taken care to include accurate medical information as well as personal memoir, Long time No See serves as an excellent resource for others in similar situations and for professionals who deal with disabled adults or children.
Customer Reviews:
Beth Finke was a personal inspiration in my life.......2006-04-21
I knew Beth Finke growing up in Illinois. I was a teenager when she needed a baby sitter for her disabled son, and she was associated with the foundation where I lived and worked. I not only have very fond memories of Beth, but also her delightful son and her first seeing-eye dog Pandora.
As a young teenager, to meet a woman as bright, witty, and brave as Beth was a life lesson that stays with me to this day. I was so struck by Beth's outlook on life that I decided to make my High School final project a video documentary of her daily life (sorry, it is not available outside of the local TV station's archives). Now, over a decade later, Beth continues to be an inspiration to me and my wife (who also knew Beth), and I am so very glad that others have seen the same in her memoirs.
If you want to be inspired by a life that may have been struck by disabilities, but not dampened by them, you will not be disappointed. While perhaps an odd suggestion to most, I especially suggest this book to those who have sensitive teenagers in their homes - it will put them on the right track towards respect, humor, and a positive outlook on life.
I read it in three hours.......2003-07-04
_Long Time, No See_ is the memoir of a woman whose diabetes caused her to become blind at the beginnning of her relationship with the man that became her husband. Beth chronicles her life since the lights went out in a funny, poignant style, bringing humor to stories about her seeing eye dogs and not wallowing in sentimentality over her love for her husband and disabled son. But for me, the best part of the book was reading about the resources and adaptive measures available to blind people. I've been an avid reader since I was two and it's always been one of my greatest fears that I might someday lose my vision, but Beth's book is both an inspiration and a practical guide to what's available. Good work.
Reality check!.......2003-06-18
Beth Finke's _Long Time, No See_ is a lively and very real story of a modern American woman's life--the ups and downs, the tragedies and belly laughs. Her honesty is palpable and her humor always engaged. Blindness, birth defects, medical red tape, bureaucratic Catch 22's, problems in relationships--this woman has met them all straight on and remained real and honest and entertaining. You won't be able to stop reading this personal story! Guaranteed to give you both grins and tears. Highly recommended even if you know nothing about diabetes or blindness. (P. S. Do not confuse it with a recent novel by the same title.)
The Story of Beth Finke , A Person You Would Love To Know.......2003-05-18
I loved this book , not because it is inspiring , which it is , but because it is the story of a fascinating , interesting , fun loving , intellegent , warm , beautiful , real woman ... there is nothing she can't accomplish ! This book reads so easily and with so much anticipation, I put everything aside until I finished it , and when I came to the end I could have started all over again ...... Thank you Beth Finke
Long Time, No See by Beth Finke.......2003-05-18
I read this book on an airplane flight and didn't even think about how my knees were jammed into the seat in front of me. Some of my fellow passengers were probably curious if they noticed that I laughed out loud (the pinto beans..) and cried at different points. Simply an amazing, funny and inspiring autobiography.
Product Description
"One Step at a Time" is a book, keepsake and guide for coping with a child's hospitalization. It offers a unique way for a parent to ask the right questions, record important medical information, and express joy, fear and hope during a very difficult time. And most important, it encourages parents to take care of themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Book Description
For the past two years, legendary cartoonist Julie Doucet has spent much of her time in her Montreal studio producing a series of bold lino-cut prints and now for the first time ever they are collected in Long Time Relationship, a beautifully-produced book available exclusively in this cloth edition. The book is divided into six chapters, each focusing on a theme; one is a series of eerily compelling portraits based on a dozen family photographs Doucet found discarded in a garbage can in Berlin. In another series, Doucet explores gender issues as no one else can with twenty hilarious, somewhat unflattering portraits of the "modern man". She deftly explores other themes, ranging from fortune cookies to female sexuality (go figure!), and everything is neatly encompassed in this sharply-designed art book. Julie Doucet is internationally renowned for her wry, sexually-charged work, a sort of "female R. Crumb" of comics. She is the author of four books, including the 2000 Firecracker Award-Winner My New York Diary.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Vibrant Life, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2007. The length of the article is 889 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Long-distance loving: how to stay in touch with your children: when Dad or Mom spend a lot of time on the road, their relationship with their children can suffer. But it doesn't have to be that way. Maintaining a strong bond is an ongoing process, one that can be successfully accomplished even far from home.(Mental CLARITY)
Author: Tammy Darling
Publication:
Vibrant Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 23
Issue: 3
Page: 12(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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