{"product_id":"alphabetter-juice-or-the-joy-of-text-paperback","title":"Alphabetter Juice: or, The Joy of Text - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRoy Blount  Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoy Blount Jr.\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of twenty-one previous books, covering subjects from the Pittsburgh Steelers to Robert E. Lee to what dogs are thinking. He is a regular panelist on NPR's \u003ci\u003eWait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!\u003c\/i\u003e and is a member of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel. Born in Indianapolis and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Blount now lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, the painter Joan Griswold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 08, 2012\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45336097030246,"sku":"9780374533373","price":31.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/YWdKc3pNblV2UDR1Q3dsaW9ZOUFFQT09.webp?v=1774601423","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/alphabetter-juice-or-the-joy-of-text-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}