How to Talk Like a Local: A National Phrasebook from the author of Word Perfect

(Paperback)

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The first collection of local words and phrases to take in every region of the country 'Susie Dent is a national treasure' RICHARD OSMAN 'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' PAM AYRES __________________________________________ Would you be bewildered if someone described you as radgy Do you know how to recognise a tittamatorter And would you understand if someone called you a culchie How to Talk Like a Local gathers together hundreds of words from all over the country and digs down to uncover their origins. From dardledumdue, which means daydreamer in East Anglia, through forkin robbins, the Yorkshire term for earwigs, to clemt, a Lancashire word that means hungry, it investigates an astonishingly rich variety of regional expressions, and provides a fascinating insight into the history of the English language. If you're intrigued by colourful words and phrases, if you're interested in how English is really spoken, or if you simply want to find out a bit more about the development of our language, How to Talk Like a Local is irresistible - and enlightening - reading. __________________________________________________ 'Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent and nobody writes about it more entertainingly' GYLES BRANDRETH 'It's an interesting and, at times, hilarious read. One for word-lovers' THE SUN

Reviews

It's an interesting and, at times, hilarious read. One for word-lovers * The Sun *
A scattershot guide to regional British vocabulary, from "gutties" to "woollyback" and beyond * Big Issue Scotland *
An amenable, approachable but intelligent look at regional idiom and slang * thebookbag.co.uk *

Author Bio

Susie Dent is a lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner. An independent editor and translator, Dent is the author multiple books that explore the joys of language, including Word Perfect, and How To Talk Like A Local. Previously, Dent has also worked across numerous editions of The Language Report, an annual guide to the new words and phrases that find their way into the English language.