Description

---

Nothing inflames language purists like an illogical irregardless or a hideous otherization. To a purist these are "howlers" and "non-words," fit only for scorn. But in their rush to condemn such terms, are the nay-sayers missing something? This provocative and hugely entertaining book shows how the diktats of the pedants are repeatedly based on misinformation, false reasoning and straight-up snobbery. The result is a brilliant work of history, a surreptitious introduction to linguistics, and a mischievous salute to misusers of the language. Crammed with fabulous anecdotes and quotes from language purists and abusers throughout history, including Jane Austen, James Joyce, and Wayne and Garth, it also speculates on new and future coinages ("innuendous," "webinarathon").

About the Author

---

Rebecca Gowers is the author of When to Walk and The Twisted Heart, both longlisted for the Orange Prize. She is also the most recent editor of Plain Words, the classic guide to the use of English by her great-grandfather Sir Ernest Gowers.

Praise For…

---

"A great delight." —David Crystal

"Gowers is fierce, funny and staggeringly well informed." —Mail on Sunday

"Stuffed with entertaining detail . . . Horrible Words is lively, provocative, witty and enlightening." —Times

"Exuberant and stimulating . . . erudite, informative and fun." —Financial Times

"Witty . . . wry . . . As a heretic, Gowers cuts a formidable figure." —Times Literary Supplement

"A very useful book, packed with good historical sense." —Times

"A joy - informative and irreverent." —Caroline Taggart

"Witty and erudite . . . A splendid antidote to small-minded pedantry." —Times

"Will have you enraptured by etymology . . . Hugely enjoyable." —Reader's Digest

“Elegantly written, chock-full of etymological curiosities, and often laugh-out-loud funny, Gowers’s book is a delight." —Publishers Weekly