The Little Book of Lost Words: Collywobbles, Snollygosters, and 86 Other Surprisingly Useful Terms Worth Resurrecting

by Joe Gillard

Overview

The founder of History Hustle presents a handy guide for expressing yourself with history's best words.

This collection features scores of unique words from history that deal with surprisingly modern issues like sleeping in and procrastination—proving that some things never change! The Little Book of Lost Words presents each term that's ready to be brought back into modern-day use, complete with definition, hilarious sample sentence, and cheeky historical art. You'll learn new words for the cozy room where you like to Netflix and chill (snuggery), for a dishonest politician (snollygoster), and for a young person who sleeps through the day and doesn't work (dewdropper). If you like Lost in Translation, Shakespeare Insult Generator, Drunk History, and Roald Dahl—and you delight in the way words like blatteroon and flapdoodle roll off the tongue—then you're the word lover this book was written for. Want to know what a fizgig or groke is? Read this book!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399582677
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

JOE GILLARD is a history buff and founder of History Hustle, a digital publication for history fans. He believes history is really just one big story of humans doing hilarious and interesting things. History Hustle boasts over 320,000 loyal social media followers, 40 million video views, and has been featured on Quartz, The Chive, Bored Panda, Cheezburger, the Culture Trip, and more.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

There are very few treasures that we can dig out of the ground, dust off, and put into use as if they were brand-new. Words, of course, are an exception. The purpose of this book is to provide you with your very own collection of treasures, ready to be resurrected and introduced into conversation with a delighted audience. I created this book to meet the demands of the modern speaker or writer to preserve language, colorfully express unique emotions, and personally connect to a rich history with the mere stroke of a key or vibration of the throat.

It’s hard to define exactly why we love these dusty, musty archaic words. Is it the colorful way they sound as you speak them and hear them? Their odd specificity? Their uniqueness? They do come in great variety. And while some sound fit only for impressing one’s noble peers at an upper-crust Victorian ball, others sound like they were overheard late at night in a dimly lit medieval tavern. Some have ten equally evocative synonyms, while others may be the only word ever crafted to define a certain feeling. Whatever their origin, whatever their use, these words have this in common: they inevitably bring joy in their rediscovery. “There’s a word for that,” you will say, in countless conversations, settings, and situations.

Admittedly, we can see why some of these words faded away as the years slipped by and dictionaries were updated. I mean, do we really need a word for “a warning that one is about to throw waste out of a window”? (See gardyloo.) Perhaps not, but what enchantment there is in knowing that there is a word for it. Words, like traditions and customs, drop out of use when they go out of fashion. But unlike customs, which are tied to specific norms of their time, words can be brought back with an updated context! Practicality may chip away at our language, but the magic of the lost words in this book ought not to be forgotten.

Most, but not all, of the words in this book are English words. English has had many periods of playful linguistic experimentation—just consider the times of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dickens. English was formed in part by the requirements of playwrights, novelists, poets, speakers, actors, farmers, drinkers, and jokers to express themselves. English contains many simple monosyllabic words, and British English writers and speakers of the past delighted in mixing words together, or inventing them, purely for the silly way they sounded. That’s why many of these words are so fun to say.

This book will expand your vocabulary, but it will also treat you to a glimpse of past lives. Time separates us from our ancestors, but careful study of history unites us with them in deep, empathetic, and relevant ways. You will see how much their lives were exactly like ours, and how much they differed. You will learn the ways in which their language can work in a modern world, if only we adjust the context of its use ever so slightly. Finally, you will learn where we’ve been—an essential component in guiding us toward a more expressive future.

When I created History Hustle, a publication for social media, I wanted to give history buffs a place of their own. A place full of history they can use, relate to, and see themselves in—a place that aims to make history palatable, humorous, and lively. Many history books, sites, magazines, movies, and podcasts focus on wars, violence, and politics. History Hustle aims to show that ordinary, everyday humans were there all along, with hopes, dreams, jokes, friends, lovers, and lives remarkably similar to our own. This book is an extension of that. Readers, you are encouraged to use these words often to show your knowledge and careful consideration of our history. These words are a toolkit for history buffs and word lovers alike to express themselves. Now, go off to your favorite snuggery (see page 159) and enjoy this fun trip back in time.

Editorial Reviews

"Perfection for word nerds. We’re not being akrasic in saying this is a wonderful book!" —Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras, authors of You're Saying It Wrong and That Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

From the Publisher