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The Dictionary of Difficult Words
Cover of The Dictionary of Difficult Words
The Dictionary of Difficult Words
With more than 400 perplexing words to test your wits!
Borrow Borrow
What is a bumbershoot? Or a moonbow? And what does it mean when someone absquatulates...? Find out all this and more in The Dictionary of Difficult Words.
Test your knowledge with more than 400 words to amaze, confuse, and inspire budding wordsmiths (and adults). All of the words featured in this book are difficult to spell, hard to say, and their meanings are obscure to most children (and most adults)! You can master them with the simple, easy-to-understand definitions and pronunciations written by lexicographer (yes, that's in there too!) Jane Solomon. Fun, colorful illustrations add whimsy to the pages.
Some jobbernowls say dictionaries are anachronistic, or even obsolete, but it's kenspeckle to real bibliophiles that those vociferous ninnyhammers are just metagrobolised by the plethora of portmanteaus, neologisms, and jargon they offer. Next time you find yourself wrangling with one of these ultracrepidarians, no need to imagineer a sockdolager: just show them this book.
This captivating dictionary celebrates the beauty of the English language for family trivia time spent around the printed page.
What is a bumbershoot? Or a moonbow? And what does it mean when someone absquatulates...? Find out all this and more in The Dictionary of Difficult Words.
Test your knowledge with more than 400 words to amaze, confuse, and inspire budding wordsmiths (and adults). All of the words featured in this book are difficult to spell, hard to say, and their meanings are obscure to most children (and most adults)! You can master them with the simple, easy-to-understand definitions and pronunciations written by lexicographer (yes, that's in there too!) Jane Solomon. Fun, colorful illustrations add whimsy to the pages.
Some jobbernowls say dictionaries are anachronistic, or even obsolete, but it's kenspeckle to real bibliophiles that those vociferous ninnyhammers are just metagrobolised by the plethora of portmanteaus, neologisms, and jargon they offer. Next time you find yourself wrangling with one of these ultracrepidarians, no need to imagineer a sockdolager: just show them this book.
This captivating dictionary celebrates the beauty of the English language for family trivia time spent around the printed page.
Available formats-
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About the Author-
  • Jane Solomon is a lexicographer based in Oakland, California. She spends her days writing definitions and working on various projects for Dictionary.com. She's a member of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, the group that decides what new emoji pop up on our devices. Jane has a twin sister who is also a lexicographer.
Reviews-
  • Publisher's Weekly

    August 5, 2019
    In this oversize volume, lexicographer Solomon introduces more than 400 intriguing words to children. From abecedarian to zygodactyl, these terms, many of them tongue twisters, are sure to have young readers hooked on the challenge of pronunciation. Straightforwardly articulated definitions are easy to digest (about ergophobia: “People use this word when they want to be funny”), with some featuring facts and examples to contextualize the word, as for juxtapose: “An artist might juxtapose dark and light colors, and a musician might juxtapose slow and fast parts of a song.” Solomon alternates phrasing and includes a delightful array of words so that each page turn feels fresh and inviting. Playful digital illustrations by Lockhart vitalize each page, pairing definitions with memorable visual aids (a chimera breathes fire, one rabbit manages to jostle another). Front matter explains the purpose of a dictionary, delves into parts of speech, and includes instructions for navigating the book. An appealing celebration of language. Ages 7–up.

Title Information+
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    Frances Lincoln Children's Books
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Digital Rights Information+
  • Copyright Protection (DRM) required by the Publisher may be applied to this title to limit or prohibit printing or copying. File sharing or redistribution is prohibited. Your rights to access this material expire at the end of the lending period. Please see Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials for terms applicable to this content.

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The Dictionary of Difficult Words
The Dictionary of Difficult Words
With more than 400 perplexing words to test your wits!
Jane Solomon
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