Family Words: A Dictionary of the Secret Language of Families

by Paul Dickson

Book Overview

Remember the time when a relative coined a new word-- at a family occasion or under some unusual circumstance? Such expressions are passed down across generations, enriching the lore and joy of family... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933338172
• ISBN13: 9781933338170
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Marion Street Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.6" x 7.2"

Customer Reviews

TERRIFIC

Although I've suspected that I might be wrong, I've always thought that my family was the only household that had its own lexicon of words and phrases to describe and refer to things both ordinary and unusual. Fearing that others might think that my folks and I were even more odd than we outwardly appeared to be, I kept it all to myself for a long time. But then along came "Family Words" by Paul Dickson. Now I realize that there is a fascinating and funny world of "inside jargon" common to many people, and Mr. Dickson has tapped into it with his usual wit and intelligence. Whether you come from a family like mine - where "family words" were almost a second language - or if you grew up sticking strictly to the "King's English" (or something at least reasonably close to it), this is a book that you can't help but enjoy, and I recommend it to anyone who is the least bit curious about this "secret garden" of language, or anyone with a sense of humor.

Like a window into family life

These words are fascinating! Reading the book is like being a fly on the wall in the kitchen of a fun, creative family. I already use a couple of them -- mudwaffles, which are the little chunks of mud that fall off kids' boots, and ootocks, a quicker way to say "shoes and socks." The stories behind many of the words are funny, too.

A must reference book for every "wordnerd" out there.

For years, Paul Dickson has been fascinated by words. But unlike most people, he's done something about it: He collects them. He gathers words the way a butterfly collector snares his prey: He captures the unusual, the archaic, the eosteric and even the madeup. And every once in a while he blesses us all with the fruit of his labor, a volume of words that is more than educational, it's pure entertainment, too. Such is the new "Family Words," Dickson's gift to the great American backbone, the family. Here you will find words that only a mother (also a brother, a sister and a father) would love and recognize. "Family Words" is as enjoyable as eavesdropping on your next-door neighbor, and as informative as well. And it's not just for wordnerds either!

"Grumpy" is an affectionate name for this grandfather

Within my family I'm known as "Grumpy." Not because I have an unpleasant disposition, but because the name slides off a todler's tongue with delightful irreverence and shocks the non-family member with the Hickman family negative-turn-positive use of a happy name. Paul Dickson has captured the special spirit of family language. With three grandsons under four on the ground and another on the way my family has a fast growing need for its own language. "Nina," aka "Mrs. Grumpy" or Barbara feels the same way. Grumpy (Bill) Hickman, Reston, Va

Good clean fun. Great gift for people who love word-play.

Every family has its own special, private words, and Paul Dickson, the tireless collector of such things, has gathered hundreds (thousands?) of the most humorous, unusual, imaginative, goofiest and ingenius family words into this book. They get the reader to start thinking of his or her own family's "code words", and Paul Dickson would undoubtedly love to add them to his collection. The book makes a great gift for word-lovers.