Mental Floss: Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words

From Mental Floss, the premier destination for curious minds, comes a deep dive into the the world of words! You’ll discover the surprising (and sometimes very dark) origins of common terms, a guide to quirky old-timey words, a timeline of popular slang, tips & tricks to win at every word game, from Scrabble to Wordle, a collection of the best literary insults, and much more!

Ever wonder if there is a synonym for the word synonym? Or why people really hate the word “moist?” Maybe you want to know why we tell a person to take something “with a grain of salt,” or why McDonalds went to war with a dictionary. From obscure words to the best literary insults ever written, this linguistic miscellany is sure to spice up your vocabulary, make you a whizz at word games, and prepare you for plenty of wordy repartee for your next soiree, with some of the most bizarre terms you never knew you needed.

A CACOPHONY OF WORDS: Learn the meaning and surprising history of hundreds of words and phrases

LOTS OF LISTS: Discover curated collections of literary insults, old-timey words, popular slang, and much more

WORD GAME WIZ: Includes tips for mastering popular word games from Scrabble to Wordle

WIT FOR WRITERS: Writers looking for just the right word will be inspired by hundreds of unusual and obscure words

REFERENCE FOR READERS: Fans of every genre, from Norse Myths to Victorian Romance will find histories, origins, and backstories of the words that make up their favorites reads

COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION: Mental Floss: The Curious Reader, Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff, and Mental Floss: The Curious Viewer are also available

About the Author

Erin McCarthy is the Editor-in-Chief of MentalFloss.com, host of The List Show and Throwback on YouTube, editor of Mental Floss's book The Curious Reader, and producer of the History Vs. podcast. Her work has appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine, Town and Country, Parents, and Esquire. When she's not writing or editing, Erin is probably reading or hanging out with her cats, Oliver and Pearl.