Absurd Words

November 1, 2021
A razzle-dazzle roster of locutions sufficient to warm the heartstrings of any logophile. Steering (to the disappointment, no doubt, of much of her potential audience) clear of curses and sexual slang, Lazar compiles a generous glossary of uncommon words that pack a big punch. Why, for instance, just wander around the mall when you can gallivant with a frenemy? Shop for gewgaws and gimcracks? Chow down on Frankenfood to keep from getting hangry? Digestibly, if often arbitrarily, arranged in small groups beneath broad sections like "G.O.A.T." for superlatives and "All the Feels" for expressing highs and lows, each entry comes with pronunciation, part of speech, a one-line (usually) definition, and a sample sentence. Individual notes on the cultures or languages from which borrowed selections come are hit or miss, but the author does tuck in occasional linguistic summary charts plus, more often, sidebar etymologies, usage histories, and short tallies of anagrams, eggcorns, mondegreens, and like flimflammery. As further inspiration to level up in talk and texts, she closes by inviting readers to invent their own portmanteaus or "crashwords," as did that unexcelled master of neologisms Roald Dahl, and see if any stick. Mayhall's colorful and playful cartoon vignettes add to the fun and show human characters with diverse skin tones. Only fussbudgets and smellfunguses would reject this as bafflegab for sesquipedalians. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

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December 15, 2021
Grades 4-8 There are more than a million words in the English language, and Merriam-Webster's dictionary adds about 1,000 new words (or word forms) every year. Yet, the average person uses only about 20,000, or 2 percent, of all available words. To boost kids' vocabulary, Lazar has assembled this "bonanza" of words, compiled with "pizzazz." The author groups words thematically for easier comprehension, from "topnotch" words about being the best to a "menagerie" of animal-centered vocabulary to expressions of surprise that leave one "gobsmacked." Other subject areas feature words about journeys, sound and music, body parts, fantastic beasts, feelings, personality, villains, mysteries, and more. Enhanced with colorful digital spot art, the entries include a pronunciation guide, part(s) of speech, definition(s), a sample sentence, and synonym(s) if applicable. Color-coded sidebars offer the origin of, trivia about, and pop-culture references to some words, like the recent addition of "hangry" to the English language. Additional charts, such as oxymorons, anagrams, and English words borrowed from Yiddish, allow word nerds even more playful fun. Huzzah!

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