THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF COINED WORDS

You wouldn't think that listening to someone read a dictionary could be diverting, but this encyclopedic audiobook of "coined" words, or neologisms--the who, when, how, and why of word origins and first uses--proves to be one of this year's best entertainment values, word for word. Narrator Paul Heitsch brings the necessary level of energy, earnestness, and humor to a narrative that is essentially a list--but one that provides surprising insights into our social and creative processes. The great wordsmiths range from Milton--who gave us "terrific," with an entirely different meaning--to Damon Runyon and Justin Timberlake. The origin of "wardrobe malfunction" and "robot" may be no surprise. But what about "robotics"? Or "innovation"? Or "psychobabble"? D.A.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2021]