A singular and indispensable reference tool, The Describer's Dictionary-now expanded and updated-has served for over twenty years as the go-to resource for writers who are determined to capture the world in just the right words. The dictionary uses a unique reverse definition-to-term format that makes it easy to zero in on the term you're seeking. Turn to the new section on sensory impressions, for example, to find vivid terms for "loud or jarring," such as "grating," "harsh," "piercing," "blaring," "thunderous," "cacophonous," and "raucous." And at the end of each section dozens of illustrative passages by notable fiction and nonfiction authors-including Donna Tartt, Michael Lewis, Zadie Smith, Khaled Hosseini, and Paul Theroux-bring the terminology to life. New in this edition: * Hundreds of additional definitions, terms, and synonyms * Brand-new categories, including "Physical States and Symptoms," "Temperament and Behavior," "Rooms and Interior Spaces," "Weather and Forces of Nature," and "The Solar System" * Over 400 new quotations from books, periodicals, and digital media by established and rising literary stars * An index of the more than 600 authors quoted in the book

We often hear about the richness of the English language, how many more words it contains than French or German. And yet modern desk dictionaries are the result of a paring away of that glory, so that merely standard, functional, current words remain. The price we pay for such convenience is the thousands of delightful words we never see or hear. This book is an effort to save some of those words applicable to everyday life and countless word games from extinction. The resultant treasure trove of exotic verbal creatures is an indispensable resource for every lover of language. A selection: * egrutten: having a face swollen from weeping * numquid: an inquisitive person * sardoodledum: drama that is contrived, stagy, or unrealistic * mimp: to purse one's lips

A cornucopia of spelling challenges--from the deceptively simple to the truly vexing--for good, better, and exceptional spellers (or those who want to be).

"So You Think You Can Spell?" is a handy way to go one on one, pencil to paper, against hard, harder, and heartless words. The challenges vary from three- and five-word mini-quizzes to fifty-worders, from tests of quite familiar (but ever misspelled) words to those rife with vowel, consonant, or silent-letter booby traps. This unique volume also tests one's spelling smarts in the arts and sciences, international cuisine, and geography. All in all, this is a book to settle the ultimate question: Just how good a speller are you?