{"product_id":"alphabetter-juice-or-the-joy-of-text-9780374533373","title":"Alphabetter Juice: Or, the Joy of Text","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFresh-squeezed Lexicology, with Twists \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNo man of letters savors the ABC's, or serves them up, like language-loving humorist Roy Blount Jr. His glossary, from \u003ci\u003ead\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003ehominy\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003ezizz\u003c\/i\u003e, is hearty, full bodied, and out to please discriminating palates coarse and fine. In 2008, he celebrated the gists, tangs, and energies of letters and their combinations in \u003ci\u003eAlphabet Juice\u003c\/i\u003e, to wide acclaim. Now, \u003ci\u003eAlphabetter Juice\u003c\/i\u003e. Which is \u003ci\u003ebetter\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book is for anyone--novice wordsmith, sensuous reader, or career grammarian--who loves to get physical with words. What is the universal sign of disgust, \u003ci\u003eew\u003c\/i\u003e, doing in \u003ci\u003ebeautiful\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ecutie\u003c\/i\u003e? Why is \u003ci\u003etoadless\u003c\/i\u003e, but not \u003ci\u003efrogless\u003c\/i\u003e, in the Oxford English Dictionary? How can the U. S. Supreme Court find relevance in \u003ci\u003egollywoddles\u003c\/i\u003e? Might there be scientific evidence for the sonicky value of \u003ci\u003ehunch\u003c\/i\u003e? And why would someone not bother to spell correctly the very word he is trying to define on Urbandictionary.com? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDigging into how locutions evolve, and work, or fail, Blount draws upon everything from \u003ci\u003eThe Tempest\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eThe Wire\u003c\/i\u003e. He takes us to Iceland, for salmon-watching with a girl gillie, and to Georgian England, where a distinguished etymologist bites off more of a giantess than he can chew. Jimmy Stewart appears, in connection with \u003ci\u003ekludge \u003c\/i\u003eand the bombing of Switzerland. Litigation over \u003ci\u003esupercalifragilisticexpialidocious \u003c\/i\u003eleads to a vintage werewolf movie; news of possum-tossing, to \u003ci\u003emetanarrative. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs Michael Dirda wrote in \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e, The immensely likeable Blount clearly possesses what was called in the Italian Renaissance 'sprezzatura, ' that rare and enviable ability to do even the most difficult things without breaking a sweat. \u003ci\u003eAlphabetter Juice\u003c\/i\u003e is brimming with sprezzatura. Have a taste.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Sarah Crichton Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/08\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780374533373\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d","brand":"Jr.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42059042816181,"sku":"9780374533373","price":18.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_ac55794e-c849-4c2d-a81f-d69f22ced223.jpg?v=1650340822","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/alphabetter-juice-or-the-joy-of-text-9780374533373","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}