Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World

by Kelsey Garrity-Riley

Tsundoku: (noun, Japanese) buying books and not reading them; letting books pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstands. Tartle: (verb, Scots) to hesitate while introducing or meeting someone because you have forgotten their name. Hoppipolla: (compound verb, Icelandic) jumping into puddles. Discover these and many other words to surprise, delight and enamor. Terms for the particular grace of mended things, for the urge to peer into other people’s windows, for the sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees. Terms for dancing awkwardly but with relish, for hating endings, for the look shared by two people who each wish the other would speak first. An irresistible gift for lovers of words and those lost for words alike.

• ISBN10: 1452125341
• ISBN13: 9781452125343
• Publish Date: July 2016
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Chronicle Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 53
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

I'm a sucker for words; especially unusual words, or foreign-language words that have no straight translation into English, and the beauty of this book's cover made it impossible to resist it, even though I already have similar books.   Luckily this small but beautifully illustrated collection of words are almost entirely different from those found in the books I already have and the author also included English words that are rarely used or hardly known (Deipnosophist, n, someone skilled in small talk or in conversing around the dining table).   Bonus points to the author and publisher for including not only an index of the words themselves, but an index of the words by language.  Demerit points because once again nobody thought to include a pronunciation guide, and figuring out how to pronounce cwtch (Welsh, n, hug or cuddle; a safe place; the cupboard beneath the stairs) is beyond my meagre abilities to even guess.

[wyvernfriend]

A picture book for adults who like words, sweet and charming and introduced me to words I never knew.