Roy Blount jr. is hilarious. The review from Garrison Keillor said it very well, "He can be literate, uncouth, and soulful, all in one sentence." I enjoy listening to the NPR show "Wait Wait" and Roy is often a panelist, so when I heard he had written this book I reserved it at the library. If you love language, word usage, and etymology you will appreciate this book. My use of language throughout my years has been a mixed bag. I get some things right and some things wrong. His entry on the word phenomenon is a hoot. He talks about certain words being "sonicky". Sonicky is his word that replaces onomatopoeia.
Blount has personal stories throughout the text and political opinions. On page 243 he gives the example of John Adams and Josiah Quincy who acted as lawyers for the British troops who reacted by shooting into a mob by writing, "...The country wasn't just threatened by jackleg terrorist, it was occupied by an army, and yet people like Quincy and Adams felt strong enough to focus on due process-to resist the occupation but still identify with the occupiers as people. Those were the days."
The story about the eighth/ninth Marquess of Queensberry was strange and intriguing. Another strange story was found in "S" about a 2003 study done with Sulawesi macaques. The macaques would relieve themselves on the computer keyboards they were supposed to use for typing. Blount goes on to say, "Anyone who hasn't felt like that has never tried writing anything."
I had one of those AH HA! moments in the "S" section when I came to the word sesquipedalian. We just finished reading the last book in the series from The Mysterious Benedict Society and one of the recurring characters is named S.Q. Pedalian. The word means a long uncommunicative word used for the sake of showing off. I chuckled for quite a bit thinking about reading those three books and not knowing the joke.
Blount brings up a word that is used euphemistically for the male anatomy. The etymology of the word is unclear. I have heard this word used since I was very young. My stepmother, who is from Alabama, as is Blount, has used this word for as far back as I can remember. My sister, Tracy, uses it as well. It was a surprise to find it so thoroughly researched in this book. Alice and Tracy should have been interviewed for the section.
The comment he has on the word "Veracity" struck a chord with me, "Is not a simple matter. Some people cause more misunderstanding by going around saying exactly what they think all the time, than others by being hypocritical."
One of the things that is great about the book is just thumbing through and stopping on any word that suits your fancy. The entries are mostly come off as stream of consciousness and the tangents are fun. So word lovers give it a try, but be warned of that he has a salty tongue.
::::::::::Surfing MP3s:::
I am working on a short video for next week and came across this song:
::::::::Observation of the Day:::
It is fun to listen to Run DMC, while seating in a chair with wheels.
Must keeping listening to different songs...later!
