The Horologicon
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley November 26, 2014
Author Mark Forsyth
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ISBN: 978-184831-415-3
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
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Website: http://www.allenandunwin.com
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This is truly a book of words and a word on books – do pardon the pun – but what a joy to open the pages of book that states (at least the Author does) this book is not to be taken seriously and should not, definitely not, be read at one sitting.
Not even two sittings, but many sittings so you can truly digest the finesse of the English language; Or at least words that have long gone out of fashionable use but still have the delicious, full bodied sumptuousness of words which mean something a whole lot more than the ordinary.
In his journey through many, many dictionaries Mark Forsyth has gathered together an enormous collection of words which are simply fascinating in their sounds as well as their meanings.
In order to present these in a setting which will not only re-introduce them into modern language but do complete justice to their meaning he has created, in his words “a day’s jaunt through the lost words of the English language.”
Commencing with Dawn the chapter deals with washing and waking; something everyone has done since time immemorial but the words used then are not the words used now, leaving the language of the 20th century that much less colourful.
Take for instance the word Zwodder, (Somersetshire 1825) as “a drowsy and stupid state of mind”, meaning, we take it, that in the first part of the day when waking from sleep you are warm, sleepy and comfortable in your bed. How much more robust and titillating is the word Zwoddercompared to sleepy!
As the morning progresses there is word for just about everything you can think of that requires some sort of undertaking, and possibly even a word for that.
The day, as days do, moves on with the rediscovered words developing a life of their own as you can be in trouble for rhubarbing, watch out for food cooked by a Cook Ruffin (bad cook), make sure you are not insulted by being a called a blunderkin or foozler , end up in the snake-room with a snecklifter or Lanspresado. Then when you finally get home cop a curtain lecture from your partner which could take the form of a subderiserous or Epitrope.
There are simply so many words in this book about words you will find them totally fascinating, adventurous, enjoyable, comical and very definitely descriptive. Some (an occasional few) are still in use today but sadly most of them have faded into the pages of great dictionaries, to be rediscovered by a few who simply love to discover the history of words and life in general.
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