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Depraved and Insulting English

by Peter Novobatzky

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An irreverent treasury of obsolete insults and indecent vocabulary

$15.87 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

An irreverent treasury of obsolete insults and indecent vocabulary

Originally issued as two collections, this volume gathers archaic English terms associated with obscenity, abuse, bodily functions, and social ridicule. Its entries turn etymology into a tour of unusually precise—often extravagant—labels for unpleasant habits, greed, drunkenness, and other human failings. Examples such as maschalephidrosis and pleonexia show the book’s interest in words that are both highly specific and largely absent from modern everyday speech. More than a conventional reference work, it is organized around the comic possibilities of forgotten vocabulary and the enduring pleasure of finding an exact, outrageous word.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Word enthusiasts interested in etymology and obsolete English
  • Fans of humorous reference books and inventive insults
  • Browsers seeking unusual vocabulary for conversation or writing

Themes

Obsolete EnglishEtymologyInsults and invectiveObscenityHumorous vocabulary

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Book overview

Originally published as two distinct collections, Depraved and Insulting English brings to light the language's most offensive and obscene words--words that have fallen out of today's lexicon but will no doubt delight, amuse, and in some cases prove surprisingly useful. Who hasn't searched for the right word to describe a colleague's maschalephidrosis (runaway armpit perspiration) or a boss's pleonexia (insane greed)? And what better way is there to insult the scombroid landlord (resembling a mackerel) or that tumbrel of a brother-in-law (a person who is drunk to the point of vomiting) than by calling him by his rightful name?

A compact compendium of ingenious words for anyone who's been tongue-tied, flabbergasted, or dumbfounded, Depraved and Insulting English supplies the appropriate vocabulary for any occasion. Word lovers, chronic insulters, berayers, bescumbers, and bespewers need fear no more--finding the correct word to wow your friends or silence your enemies just got a whole lot easier.
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