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Those Everyday Objects You Just Can't Name (And Things You Think You Know About, but Don't)
Hyperion
May 2009
On Sale: May 12, 2009
224 pages ISBN: 1401323383 EAN: 9781401323387 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.
--Anonymous The world is full of whatchamacallits - things we ought to
know the names for, might even think we know the names for,
but when it comes down to it, don't know the names for.
That's where The Whatchamacallit comes in. A fun and witty
companion to daily life, The Whatchamacallit provides the
proper names for more than 100 elusive thingamajigs and
doohickeys, complete with the histories, myths, and
anecdotes behind them. The entries collected here are not extraordinary, nor are
they the unlikely objects used by specialists or experts.
The whatchamacallits in these pages are things that we see,
touch, use, or think about every day. Objects that are
between our fingers and under our noses--and yet we cannot
put a name to them. From achenes to zucchetto, from bobeche
to vibrissae, The Whatchamacallit covers the flotsam and
jetsum of daily existence. Whimsical, informative, and just
plain smart, this useful compendium offers hours of
enjoyment for anyone who just likes to know stuff. The Whatchamacallit will transform you from someone who is
occasionally at a loss for words to that far more dynamic
person who--in an understated and discreet way--always knows
the right word for everything.
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