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Article: Words' worth: a review of Alphabet Juice.(Book review)
- Article from:
- Word Ways
- Article date:
- May 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Jeremiah Farrell. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A new book about language is always cause for rejoicing, especially when it celebrates both the serious and the humorous aspects of words.
Published a few months ago, Alphabet Juice (Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux), by Roy Blount Jr., revels in the joys of the written and spoken word. The title is, I gather, a play on "alphabet soup." But it's also a tribute to the excitement that words can generate. Explains the Introduction: "Juice as in au jus, juju, power, liquor, electricity."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the text is in alphabetical order. Readers will discover short (mostly) entries on ain't, beg the question, cliche, double negative, ...