This book was full of fascinating facts, which I enjoyed, but there were almost too many facts for me to take in. I found that using the book as more of a reference worked best for me. For example, I love cooking and baking, so I was drawn to the chapter on "edible words" right away, and skipped to that chapter early on. I also really enjoyed the chapter on words from space. Again, the information was fascination and enjoyable, but when I tried to read the book in chapter order, I became overwhelmed with all the information. Overall, 4 stars for the interesting content, but 3 stars for the way it was organized and presented--so 3.5 overall.

If you're curious and like to share fun facts, this is the book for you. It's fun (it quotes Terry Pratchett, what did you expect ?) and full of fascinating linguistic facts... The "ye" one got me.

Fun and stylistic prose while retaining its intellectual depth! There is a clear voice that keeps the content from reading as dry

Ever wonder why portmanteau has so many letters? Why some words are censored and whether they always have been? Why some cultures refer to the sky as green?

Useless Etymology has the answers to these questions and so many more. The words in this book are roughly grouped by topic and then explored in their historical context to bring us to how they're used today and why.

There were certainly a few words that I would have liked more information on, but there were just as many that gave me more information than I could possibly care about, so it balanced out. Many of the definitions were humorous or insightful. I couldn't see myself reading this book straight through in one sitting, but it was fun to read a few pages a day on the bus or before bed. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on not being pedantic. The more you learn about words, the slipperier they become, and the sillier pedantry appears.

I suspect that if you're the kind of person whose mouth quirks up at the corner upon reading the title "useless etymology," you are exactly who should be reading this book. However, if you're the sort of person who has never contemplated reading a dictionary from cover to cover, I recommend using this book for reference, as you might not find it as entertaining as I did.

Thank you to John Murray Press and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful book for Word nerds. It’s important to realize the book is exactly as advertised. It’s essentially an encyclopedia of words so not something you want to cover a cover but something to read slowly or dip in and out of. Great fun if you love words and reading.

#UselessEtymology #NetGalley

Maybe I had a different set of expectations from the book, especially after reading its descriptions. While I patiently read the dry prose of the book, hoping that the narrative would include the promised sense of humour from the blurb, it never delivered. I ultimately pushed myself into finish reading the book because I do really love words and learning about their origins, and how the usage has changed over time.

Maybe from an academic perspective the book is excellent. but not for a casual reader.

Absquatulate. Dumfungled. Foofaraw. Rampallion. Persiflage. Flibbertigibbet. Scrumplicate.

If you got excited by the list of words above then this is the book for you. In Useless Etymology, Jess Zafarris takes us on a tour of the English language and origins of a whole variety of words -- from the archaic and obsolete to those we use everyday. There's less narrative than I expected (it reads more like collections of fun facts grouped by theme), but in a way that makes it very easy to dip in and out of at leisure. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on words that have fallen out of use -- let's bring back balter and mumpsimus! This is one for fans of language, or anyone who enjoys pulling out obscure vocabulary during Scrabble. Thanks NetGalley and John Murray Press for the e-ARC.

3.75 stars on StoryGraph, rounded up to 4.

As a true word nerd, I really enjoyed this book. It's arranged well, with each part more etymologically advanced than the last. I truly believe that if this is someone's first encounter with etymology Zafarris does a great job of giving a crash course on the topic in Part 1.

Part 2 goes a bit deeper, breaking down different categories of everyday words and their etymological roots. My favorite chapters in this section were 9 and 10, which dove into the origins of literary works and words used in writing, printing, and type (this was very meta for a bookworm like me.)

My favorite section was Part 3, by far. It was whimsical and had me laughing out loud with some of the absurdities that occur in the English language. It also made me feel way better about any time I make a spelling mistake or say a phrase wrong. As a fellow female writer, I really appreciated Zafarris's female-centric Easter eggs like "spinster", "gossip", and "menstruation". Overall, Jess turns a rather dense topic into a conversation piece that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a book I'd recommend to etymology novices and aficionados alike. I've already found the perfect spot on my bookshelf for a hard copy: right next to my MLA and AP Style guides.

I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I feel like this book was misnamed! It should have been the useful etymology book! I can not express enough how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I feel like I need to get a paperback copy just so I can read it again with my sticky notes, pens, and highlighters so I can make all the notes in the margins and highlight all my favorite parts (most of the book probably). First off, the formatting and flow of the book were amazing. I seriously enjoyed not only the voice of the author in explaining the etymology and history but also how each chapter moved one from another. I also enjoyed that some chapters had subsections that made it easy and fun to follow and also jump around when I was going back to look for favorite parts.

As a language nerd I felt like I was already predisposed to like this book, but it certainly made this book even better. There were a lot of it that I already knew – like the Shakespear section and words that come from Shakespear that we wouldn’t think but also some words that were common in Shakespear’s time not used now. But there were other things that I never knew about the etymology of some words, and it was absolutely fascinating and a super fun read all around. The spice level I put down at a 0 because it’s not inherently spicy like a romance novel. However, there are some words that could be seen as having a spicy connotation but that is not how I saw them dealt with.

Overall, I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 star rating. Absolutely fantastic. I loved it and can’t wait to buy a copy for myself!

Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris is an entertaining book for anyone who loves language and words and wants to learn more.

First off, the cover of this book definitely drew my initial attention. It's really beautiful.

As to the book itself, I enjoyed it a great deal. I'm a wordsmith, and love reading about languages, so this book certainly scratched that itch for me. It did get a little dry at parts, but for the most part kept the fun facts coming. The pacing was a little uneven as well. I'm not sure what could really be done about that, since some word etymologies are more twisted and murky than others, but still, the book felt fast in some places and like it was dragging in others.

Altogether, a really fun read, though. Lots of really interesting histories to the words in our crazy language.

Did you know that corgi means “dwarf dog” in Welsh? Or that the first instance of the word puke appears in Much Ado About Nothing, specially in the famous “All the world’s a stage” monologue? Now you do.

“Useless Etymology” is a great book with too modest a title. For someone passionate about etymology, like me, its facts are anything but useless.

This book is 100% for ME. I took am elective in high school called "etymology" so I am definitely the target audience for this. I ATE it up! I am definitely going to be buying a physical copy, because it was a little difficult to read on Kindle with some formatting issues, and I would love to see it in print. I took my time reading this, as it's full of interesting tidbits (not factoids, spoiler alert...read and you'll know what I'm talking about!). You can read it in bits, keep for later, and amaze people with your knowledge and nerdiness at parties. Highly recommend!

There were so many points during reading this where I turned to my husband and told him what I was learning. I loved sharing this as I read, and we both enjoyed learning about the origins of many words. The structure for me, was quite chaotic and did not follow set themes. Also, I found myself tuning out at points. I think it would work well as an audio book or podcast series.

I never thought I’d enjoy a book about etymology, since it’s not something I’ve ever been interested in.. and English isn’t even my first language, I’m an Arabic speaker.. but this book really surprised me. It’s written in a very fun and simple way, not academic or boring at all, and I found myself reading more and more without even planning to. I learned so many strange and interesting things about everyday words that I’ve never thought about before. What I loved most is how learning about the history of words felt a bit like learning about history itself.. like how fossils help us understand the distant past, these words carry hidden stories and meanings that connect us to old times, cultures, and people. It made me see the English language in a completely new way.

I picked up this book on a whim because it sounded interesting, and I love learning new things. The book explores words and their origins, detailing how they came to be and their histories. While the book is quite wordy (pun intended), the author balances this with humour, making what could be a long, boring read actually engaging and enjoyable.

That said, it’s not a book you should read in one sitting, as it's still quite lengthy. It’s perfect for those who want to learn new words and their histories. I recommend taking your time with it, flipping back and forth as you go through its amazing content.

I can't wait to see what else the author releases, and I’m eager to explore their earlier works because this book was amazing!

This was a fun read and not so niche that casual readers won't pick it up (the word "useless" always attracts the curious). Our library's nonfiction section is in need of an update; this would be a fluffy but fun addition. Will recommend for acquisition.

As someone who delights in the quirks and curiosities of the English language, Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris was a delightful read. The book offers a treasure trove of word origins, presenting them in a manner that's both educational and entertaining.

I particularly enjoyed how the book is structured to allow for casual reading; it's perfect for picking up during short breaks or when you have a few moments to spare. Each entry provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of a word, often accompanied by amusing anecdotes or surprising facts.

While the content is rich and engaging, I did find the organization a bit haphazard at times. The transitions between topics could be smoother, and a more defined structure might enhance the reading experience. Additionally, the tone of the book differed slightly from what I expected based on the cover design, but this didn't detract significantly from my overall enjoyment.

In summary, Useless Etymology is a charming and informative read that would appeal to language enthusiasts and casual readers alike. It's a wonderful addition to any bookshelf and serves as a great conversation starter.

Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the ARC

“The word and abbreviation “OK” most likely came about as a result of… well, nerds being silly. (Not that anyone reading this book can judge.)”

One would think that a 300+ pages long book about etymology wouldn’t exactly be a fun read - and they would be wrong!
“Useless etymology” (let’s take a second to appreciate the beautiful cover) by Jess Zafarris was an enlightening, fun and pleasing read. As a final year student of linguistic mediation (with a focus on linguistics), I knew I had to read this book as soon as I could. It’s obviously not a book you would read in one sitting, but I found myself going back to it multiple times a day, while taking breaks from my studying.
The writing style makes it easy to clearly understand even the in-depth explanations, without ever getting boring or feeling like reading from a textbook.
So thank you Zafarris, now I have a whole lot of interesting facts to share with people who probably don’t really care…!

I was looking forward to this book but found it somewhat disappointing. It didn't flow or appear logical in its presentation and was just rather flat and difficult to engage with.
My thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.