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Wissenswertes

Geburtstag: 1930
Geschlecht: female
Nationalität: USA
Berufe: lexicographer
Beziehungen: Heifetz, Jascha (father)
Kurzbiographie: Daughter of Jascha Heifetz, violinist.

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Rezensionen

Mrs. Byrne's dictionary of unusual, obscure,… von Josefa H. Byrne

My work colleague has a copy of this book and it has become a habit of mine to open to a random page and find, for example, that there are a number of people in my office that have a scurfy ("pertaining to dandruff) problem or that many of them often look very mang (anxious or puzzled). Indeed, any random page will result in a pleasant journey into the wonderful world of words.

My colleague has highlighted some of his favourite words, including "whiskerino" (a beard growing contest"), "stasivalence" (the ability to have sexual intercourse only while standing) and the magnificent "lalochezia" (talking dirty to relieve tension) and I'm sure every reader will have their own preferences. Personally, I'm glad to see my own favourite word, "wayzgoose" (an annual holiday for those in the printing industry) is included.

This book also allows me to reminisce about the time when I was about 12 and innocently looked up the word "catamite", thinking it has something to do with railway stations. It doesn't, unless there's some even weirder fetishes out there than the sober human mind can imagine.… (mehr)

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MiaCulpa | 4 weitere Rezensionen | Sep 11, 2014 |

Mrs Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and… von Josefa Heifetz Byrne

It is unusual to find a dictionary with the holding power to keep you reading and laughing for hours, but that's what this will do. I found the "nomancies" enough of a motivation to keep reading, and once took on the personal challenge of finding an excuse to use cephalonomancy in a sentence. Not surprisingly it was in an economics discussion that I found a window of opportunity. Highly recommended for the word freak in you.