Susie Dent

'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' Pam Ayres 'Susie Dent is a national treasure' Richard Osman Welcome to a year of wonder with Susie Dent, lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner. From the real Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal story behind stealing someone's thunder, from tartle (forgetting someone's name at the very moment you need it) to snaccident (the unintentional eating of an entire packet of biscuits), WORD PERFECT is a brilliant linguistic almanac full of unforgettable stories, fascinating facts, and surprising etymologies tied to every day of the year. You'll never be lost for words again.

Etymological Entertainment for Every Day of the Year

Word Perfect

Did you know that . . . a soldier's biggest social blunder is called jack brew - making yourself a cuppa without making one for anyone else? That twitchers have an expression for a bird that can't be identified - LBJ (the letters stand for Little Brown Job)? Or that builders call plastering the ceiling doing Lionel Richie's dancefloor? Susie Dent does. Ever wondered why football managers all speak the same way, what a cabbie calls the Houses of Parliament, or how ticket inspectors discreetly request back-up? We are surrounded by hundreds of tribes, each speaking their own distinct slanguage of colourful words, jokes and phrases, honed through years of conversations on the battlefield, in A&E, backstage, or at ten-thousand feet in the air. Susie Dent has spent years interviewing hundreds of professionals, hobbyists and enthusiasts, and the result is an idiosyncratic phrasebook like no other. From the Freemason's handshake to the publican's banter, Dent's Modern Tribes takes us on a whirlwind tour of Britain, decoding its secret languages and, in the process, finds out what really makes us all tick.

The Secret Languages of Britain

Dent's Modern Tribes

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARD 2025: BOOK OF THE YEAR - CRIME & THRILLER 'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ' Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial 'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE' Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found. When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary office, it becomes rapidly clear that this is not the usual word-related enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at sinister events linked to a particular year. For editor Martha Thornhill, the date can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. Ten years on, Martha and her family are no closer to unravelling the mystery of Charlie's disappearance - until now. As more letters arrive, Martha and her team follow the linguistic clues to a troubling truth. It seems Charlie was keeping a powerful secret, and that someone is desperate to keep it well and truly buried. Guilty by Definition is a love letter not only to language but to the city of Oxford, wrapped within an intriguing mystery of a missing woman and considering the emotional aftershocks of her disappearance on those left behind. Guilty by Definition was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024

The instant Sunday Times bestselling debut novel from Susie Dent

Guilty by Definition

An anonymous letter arrives at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary containing a challenge for the team of lexicographers working there. It's clear that's it's not the usual run-of-the-mill, eccentric enquiry. The letter hints at secrets, lies and a year. 2010. For Martha Thornhill, the new senior editor, that year can mean only one thing: the summer her brilliant, beautiful older sister Charlie went missing.
More letters arrive, pointing towards a secret in the heart of the dictionary itself. As Martha and her colleagues start pulling apart the clues, the questions become more insistent and troubling. Charlie's disappearance is one of a series of secret absences going back centuries, and someone wants to keep those secrets buried.
After a decade living abroad, Martha has returned to her father, her family home and the city whose institutions have defined her family, but the ghosts she thought at rest were only waiting for her to return.
The debut murder mystery from the resident genius of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent.

Etymological Entertainment For Every Day of the Year

Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful compendium answers 101 of the most intriguing questions about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar and usage. Irresistible to anyone with an interest in the words around them.

101 Questions about the English Language

What Made The Crocodile Cry?

A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford **AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW** A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice. When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer. Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets, and may be reaching out towards them too. Guilty by Definition (book 1) was a Sunday Times bestseller August 2024

The unmissable new linguistic mystery in the Sunday Times bestselling series from Britain's wordsmith, Susie Dent

Death Writ Large

From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings

Interesting Stories about Curious Words

the language report

Fanboys and overdogs

A funny and entertaining way to discover more about the history and meaning of language. SUSIE DENT'S WEIRD WORDS takes children on a rip-roaring tour through some of the most astonishing and sometimes quite revolting origins of English words. As Susie Dent knows, even the most ordinary-sounding word can have the most extraordinary story behind it.

Susie Dent's Weird Words

Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

This edition of 'Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' has been fully revised and updated and contains entries on a vast range of colloquial words and expressions as well as mythology and folk customs.

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable

From bestselling author and entymologist Susie Dent comes a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Guilty by Definition. Famed lexicographer Martha Thornhill is back, and when mysterious symbols start to appear near the dead bodies of university lecturers, her linguistic expertise could be the key to unraveling the mystery. "If ever a book appeared to be designed specifically for me and my colleagues at the [New York Times] Book Review, it would be Dent's Guilty By Definition, set among the logophiles and pedants of the Clarendon English Dictionary....delightful." -- The New York Times Book Review "Will enthrall crime aficionados, puzzle solvers, Anglophiles and logophiles...fiendishly clever and marvelously entertaining debut?the perfect tonic for any philobiblist's mubble-fubbles." -- The Washington Post A dead writer's alphabet. A living killer's cryptic messages. When mysterious symbols begin cropping up around Oxford, most dismiss them as bizarre graffiti. But lexicographer Martha Thornhill knows better. She recognizes the symbols from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. When the graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer, Martha knows this is no publicity stunt. And when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide, she's not the only one to have doubts. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets. Together, they must find who is behind the cryptic messages, before they become the next victims.

A Novel

From bestselling author and entymologist Susie Dent comes a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Guilty by Definition. Famed lexicographer Martha Thornhill is back, and when mysterious symbols start to appear near the dead bodies of university lecturers, her linguistic expertise could be the key to unraveling the mystery. "If ever a book appeared to be designed specifically for me and my colleagues at the [New York Times] Book Review, it would be Dent's Guilty By Definition, set among the logophiles and pedants of the Clarendon English Dictionary....delightful." — The New York Times Book Review "Will enthrall crime aficionados, puzzle solvers, Anglophiles and logophiles...fiendishly clever and marvelously entertaining debut?the perfect tonic for any philobiblist's mubble-fubbles." — The Washington Post A dead writer's alphabet. A living killer's cryptic messages. When mysterious symbols begin cropping up around Oxford, most dismiss them as bizarre graffiti. But lexicographer Martha Thornhill knows better. She recognizes the symbols from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. When the graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer, Martha knows this is no publicity stunt. And when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide, she's not the only one to have doubts. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, Martha and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it's clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city's streets. Together, they must find who is behind the cryptic messages, before they become the next victims.

Agatha Christie meets Countdown in the debut mystery novel from the genius of Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent Word games can be murder When an anonymous letter is delivered to the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary, it is immediately clear that this is not the usual lexicographical enquiry. Instead, the letter hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year. For new senior editor Martha Thornhill, the date means only one thing: the summer her brilliant older sister, Charlie, went missing. After a decade abroad, Martha has returned home to the city whose ancient institutions have long defined her family. Have the ghosts she left behind been waiting for her return? When more letters arrive, and Martha and her team pull apart the complex clues within them, the mystery becomes even more insistent and troubling. It seems that Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret. Now someone is trying to lead the lexicographers toward the truth. But other forces are no less desperate to keep it well and truly buried.

Agatha Christie meets Countdown in the debut mystery novel from the genius of Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent

Discover the Debut Mystery Novel from Countdown's Susie Dent

"Will enthrall crime aficionados, puzzle solvers, Anglophiles and logophiles...fiendishly clever and marvelously entertaining debut—the perfect tonic for any philobiblist's mubble-fubbles." —The Washington Post She knew there'd be ghosts in Oxford, she just didn't think they'd make their way to the dictionary. Oxford, England. After a decade abroad, Martha Thornhill has returned home to the city whose ancient institutions have long defined her family. But the ghosts she had thought to be at rest seem to have been waiting for her to return. When an anonymous letter is delivered to the Clarendon English Dictionary, where Martha is a newly hired senior editor, it's rapidly clear that this is not the usual lexicographical enquiry. Instead, the coded letter hints at secrets and lies linked to a particular year. The date can mean only one thing: the summer Martha's brilliant older sister Charlie went missing. When more letters arrive, Martha and her team pull apart the complex clues within them, and soon, the mystery becomes ever more insistent and troubling. Because it seems Charlie had been keeping a powerful secret, and someone may be trying to lead the lexicographers towards the truth that will unravel the mystery of her disappearance. But other forces are no less desperate to keep their secrets well and truly buried, and Martha and her team must crack the codes before it's too late. From resident lexicographer Susie Dent comes a linguistic mystery that will both delight and shock readers.

The Debut Novel from Countdown's Susie Dent

Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, on a curious and exceedingly interesting adventure through all the very best RED HERRINGS, COCK AND BULL STORIES and NINE-DAY WONDERS in the English language. Who was SWEET FANNY ADAMS? What's the dramatic true story behind STEALING THUNDER? Why is it CHANCING YOUR ARM when you take a risk? What do bears have to do with LICKING INTO SHAPE? Or robbers with PULLING SOMEONE'S LEG? Why are CIRCLES VICIOUS? And, what's so bad about a WHITE ELEPHANT? 'Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent' Gyles Brandreth

Infinitely browsable and completely up to date, The Language Report is a collection of topical and fascinating facts and observations on today's spoken and written English. Backed by the largest language research program in the world at Oxford University Press, this new book presents an up-to-the-minute snapshot of English language today: tracking the latest new words to have entered its usage; investigating old words revived by current events in, for example, the worlds of politics and pop; and examining the most recent trends of language development. This intriguing survey covers language issues reported by the media in recent times, including memorable quotations and sayings of the year; nicknames in the news; new venues for language, such as Internet chatrooms; and controversial developments in usage and grammar. It also analyzes English around the world, uncovering the latest words and phrases to enter our vocabulary; and explores what new words were hundreds of years ago, and how they've developed or disappeared. An ideal reference for all word lovers, this new book offers a fascinating tour of the English language today.

The Language Report

Would you be bewildered if someone described you as "radgy"? Do you know how to recognize a "tittamatorter"? And would you understand if someone called you a "culchie"? "How to Talk Like a Local" gathers together hundreds of words from all over the country and digs down to uncover their origins. From "dardledumdue," which means daydreamer in East Anglia, through "forkin robbins," the Yorkshire term for earwigs, to "clemt," a Lancashire word that means hungry, it investigates an astonishingly rich variety of regional expressions, and provides a fascinating insight into the history of the English language. If you're intrigued by colorful words and phrases, if you're interested in how English is really spoken, or if you simply want to find out a bit more about the development of our language, "How to Talk Like a Local" is irresistible and enlightening reading."

Susie Dent

Books

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