Paperback: 240 Pages
Genre: Reference, Humor
Series: N/A
“ZOUNDS!”
“A Browser’s Dictionary of Interjections”
by Mark Dunn.
Back Cover Summary:
Often thought of as unnecessary verbal fringe or simply linguistic decoration, interjections (ahem, howdy, mamma mia, pshaw, tally-ho, whoop-de-do) may well be the most overlooked part of speech in the English language. ZOUNDS! A Browser’s Dictionary of Interjections focuses the spotlight on this most deserving (and sometimes most demented) grammatical group. A lighthearted look at more than five hundred interjections, ZOUNDS! explores the origins of these essential words and highlights the contributions of these previously unheralded parts of speech.
Perfect for both word lovers and the casual reader, ZOUNDS! brings together the linguistic talents of Mark Dunn, author of the award-winning novel ‘Ella Minnow Pea’, and the graphic hilarity of Sergio Aragonés, the legendary cartoonist and contributor to Mad Magazine, for a delightful romp through grammar, culture, and the English language.
Excerpts:
imbars bidbib
This has got to be one of the strangest interjections I have encountered. It was used by British soldiers during World War II, and is acronymic for “I may be a rotten sod, but I don’t believe in bullshit.” One would be foolish to risk insubordination by uttering the phrase in the presence of military superiors (especially the ones dishing the bullshit); otherwise, the interjection was expressed freely.
hell’s bells!
This interjection, which connotes impatience and irritation, has nautical origins. Back in the 1800’s it was part of the even more lustrous seaman’s imprecation hell’s bells and bucket of blood! Lost to us is what any of this meant at the time, although it is possible that the phrase simply sprung totally uncogitated from the lips of some very ticked-off sailor. Whereas pirates are generally limited to the growly gar and argh when displeased, legitimate seamen have always exercised a respectable command of the King’s English, notwithstanding their preference for sauce and color. Hell’s bells! is a fine example.
But how the expression got from salty sailor to salty-tongued irascible old ladies, I do not know.
Stacy’s Review:
From bah to en garde! and Gadzooks! Oy, veh! To Shalom, shanté and zoinks! This book shows you interjections like nothing I’ve ever read before!
There are “hip-hop” interjections, such as; fa’ cho, sho-nuff, and work it. A few family Southernisms, including; saints preserve us and lawzy mussy. Interjections by celebrities the likes of Fozzie Bear and Charlie Brown have also been listed; auggh!, good grief, rats, and wocka wocka. Then too, there is Mork from Ork’s nanoo nanoo and one of my personal favorites … shazbot!
There are plenty of well-known, oft used interjections, and quite a few that I had never heard of before. All complete with definition and history shorts. It’s 204 pages full of ‘em!
I absolutely love this book! {big-goofy-grin} If you are of mind to be silly like me, then you definitely need to add this book to your library! It’s great for writers too! Even if they’re not silly.
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“A Browser’s Dictionary of Interjections, Mark Dunn., interjections, Sergio Aragonés, writers
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