From Booklist
Longtime wordsmith McFedries, author of more than 40 books on language, believes that new words are one of life's "small excellencies." Neologisms, he asserts, are one of the best ways of understanding a changing world and culture. For McFedries' purposes, a word is considered "new" if it doesn't appear in any general dictionary, first appeared in the written record no earlier than 1980, and has a track record. Although he does fudge his criteria, he offers many informative comments about why and how new words are formed, noting three essential factors: the word is easy to pronounce and understand, is short, and fills a gap in the language. In 22 chapters, McFedries lists new words in boldface and provides definitions and cultural context; chapter topics include relationships ("Google dating"), war ("threat fatigue"), marketing ("advertainment"), business ("dotcom-uppance"), and angst ("niche worrying"). Thanks to the Internet, new words are being coined and disseminated at lightning speed, and McFedries proves to be a knowledgeable guide to the "neological frenzy."
Joanne WilkinsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Essential reading for the lexicurious--
Word Spy explains not just the newest words but the newest ideas."
-Erin McKean, lexicographer and author of
Weird and Wonderful Words
"Paul McFedrie's obvious passion for tracking down cutting-edge expressions had led to a fascinating linguistic commentary for those of us who ought to know a 'leather spinster' from a 'weddingmoon.' He opens the reader's eyes and ears to a new language that continues to emerge."
-Jeffrey Kacirk, author of
Forgotten English and
The Word Museum.
"
Word Spy is a triumph--a joyful romp through language and lingo of our times. Today's readers will love it. Tomorrow's readers will need it. So here's a message to the archaeologists of the future: Please dust off this book and read every page. It is your starting point for deciphering what life was like in the 21st century."
— Daniel H. Pink, author of
Free Agent Nation"Tired of finding dead words embalmed in dusty dictionaries?
Word Spy is one of those rare books that captures words live in the wild, complete with up-to-the minute citations and examples of usage. Glurge, metrosexual, toxic bachelor, bozo explosion, flash mob, weapons of mass distraction--they are all here, complete with origin, usage, and great quotations. Like Eric Raymond's
New Hacker's Dictionary,
Word Spy is living proof that to invent a language is to invent a way of life."
— Richard Dooling, author of
White Man's Grave
