Product Details

Publishers Weekly

Peter Novobatzky and Ammon Shea, the gleefully naughty authors of Depraved English and Insulting English, combine their two guides to the puerile side of our popular tongue into one salty volume, efficiently titled Depraved and Insulting English. Sure, the words mome, limberham, encopresis are good, but what's better are the authors' usage examples, which demonstrate a mischievous exuberance. Explaining a particularly intense form of voyeurism, the authors write: "Being struck suddenly blind would have taxed any man, but for Mr. Bigelow, with his acute scopophilia, it smacked of divine vengeance." (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Novobatzky and Shea here fuse together their two earlier works, Depraved English and Insulting English, to reintroduce their humorous comments about obscure insults and "depraved" or vulgar words. Two factors make this book more of a humor reading than a reference resource: the exclusive listing of words that most readers have never seen and reliance on author-created examples of word usage instead of quotations. Each entry includes a basic definition, pronunciation, and commentary on how words like fubsy or furfuraceous could be currently used. Since the book lacks authentic quotations or etymology, incredulous readers must rely on the bibliography of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other resources from which the words were selected. Some cross references are included, but there is no index listing the unfamiliar words by topic. Richard Spears's Slang and Euphemism: A Dictionary of Oaths, Curses, Insults, Ethnic Slurs, Sexual Slang and Metaphor, Drug Talk, College Lingo, and Related Matters offers a more comprehensive and authoritative treatment of the same subject. An optional purchase for circulating collections at public libraries where this type of humor is appreciated. Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

": The act of imagining someone naked. : The crusty yellow substance that collects in the corners of one's eyes while one sleeps. : Habitual rubbing of the genitals through one's pants pockets." All entries show part of speech, pronunciation, and sample sentences, and many contain a little history and commentary. The bibliography shows some 80 sources. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)