The Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words

It's always fun to be "in the know," and "The Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words" certainly provides a gateway to fascinating new information on the English language!

The full title of this publication is "The Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words: Over 1,000 Common and Confusing Words Explained." Easy to read and fun to plug through, this book is a gem for language enthusiasts, and anyone simply looking to expand their vocabulary. Interestingly, not all of the words are as anachronistic as one might think, as some of the words are variants of everyday terms, including modern music styles and religious and historical terms. Some of the words are also quite commonly used, but included in this dictionary are added historical tidbits that make the terms even more real.

There are some very interesting terms, and I only wish that there was room for some of these terms to be expounded upon.

The book is divided into sections on Language, The Arts, History, Society, Physical World, The Sciences, Technology, and Sports and Leisure. This is helpful so that if readers are looking for particular terms, but only know the general way in which they are used, not the terms themselves, it makes for easier reference. This is also quite helpful for those who only seek to improve their vocabulary on specific topics. This useful sectioning off, then, helps to guide readers to their special areas of interest.

There are many delightful, underused and unfamiliar words in this book, but the reader must see for themselves which terms jump out at them! Some of this reader's favorites included "Danegeld: A tax levied on the Anglo-Saxon population of England to buy off Danish invaders," "Interoceptor: A type of sensory nerve ending found in internal organs and responding to changes inside the body," "Whigs: British landed gentry and merchants who were against aristocracy and represented mercantile and dissenting interests. The word originally denoted a Scottish horse thief," and, how can you wrong with the last? "Emo: A variant of punk music in which the lyrics are highly personal to the performer and address emotional issues."