Words and Trivia Books

Compiled and organized by educator and professional writer Lawrence Paros, Bawdy Language is a compendium of street-talk, history, poetry, drama, and more, come together in order to create a lexicon of colorful, quaint, euphemistic, and often raunchy terms with which to liven any discussion of sexual matters. Bawdy Language is recommended for being a tongue-in-cheek and highly amusing (yet quite practical) guide to talking dirty while avoiding unpolished obscenity and retaining the respect of one's peers and both genders.

It's about words and phrases I relax with, at least conversationally and at least with those with whom I'm most comfortable. It's a hilarious review of a vocabulary we all recognize. Lawrence Paros, while writing a scholarly book, manages to include background, analysis and humor that make these priceless phrases, words, and euphemisms more than merely bawdy and so very much part of our language.

The first thing to mention about *Bawdy Language* is the massive amount of information Paros has brought together. I've been a fan of both language studies and erotica for years, and every page has at least a few tidbits about erotic language, history or folklore that are new to me.

*Bawdy Language* is a reference book in format, but jazzed up with a lot amusing marginalia (song lyrics; literary quotations) and jokey subtitles ("Itching For It;" "Any Number Can Play.") Too much contemporary writing on language, to me, has an irritatingly naive, gee-whiz quality. This book-- despite the joking and a plethora of puns-- is nothing like that. Even where the background of a word, for instance, is somewhat familiar, Paros makes it meaty with dates and exact references.

This book would be a terrific resource for a sex writer-- or, I suppose, for someone preparing for an X-rated game of Jeopardy. For the average reader, *Bawdy Language* will be great fun to have around and dip into, a chapter or a section at a time. Whether you want to look up a survey of words (literary, euphemistic, slang) for a strategic body part, or find out how prostitutes in ancient Athens advertised (with nails on the soles of their shoes arranged to spell out "follow me" in their footprints) you'll find it set out concisely and non-judgmentally. You may well find things that shock you, but that's part of the strength of the book. Although Paros presents the information very artfully, he doesn't censor or apologize for it. He lets you have it (so to speak) without a lot of delicate mediation.

I would be VERY careful about reading this book in a public place. I was paging through the marginal trivia and quotes when I first got this book while I was waiting for my friend at Starbucks.

I soon realized that most of the people were looking at me like I was a lunatic because I was gasping and laughing so hard and did not realize it. At one point, an elderly lady asked me if I was OK, or if she should call somebody.

Needless to say I was quite embarrassed after the fact. I then went home and continued to read privately and did not cause such a public scene.

The book's most outstanding achievement is that it TASTEFULLY dissects the most vulgar words in our language. If you ever wanted to know ANYTHING about the origins of any "bad" word, you can get the answer here, professionally, tastefully, and riotously. Not recommended for cardiac patients.

John R. Minarcik, MD

I opened this book somewhat reluctantly because of my presumed feminine "delicacy," but my interest was so quickly engaged that I simply had to read every page.

The subtitle is apt - not only is it about everything I was afraid to say, it's about things I didn't even know I could say, and I'm no innocent! Who knew this subject could be encyclopedic in scope - it's quite a scholarly work.

It's written so wittily and gracefully that I didn't utter a single squeamish "eeeww." The subject is rendered fit for polite conversation - an amazing feat. It's full of great puns and superb turns of phrase. The illustrations are classic and though naughty, quite artistic, Aubrey Beardsley's being my favorite. The sidebar quotes are wonderful finds from people modern and classical.

All in all, my reaction was Wow! This should be a hot seller!

I thought this was a worthy companion to some of my other books on pop culture and aphorisms. It is a little short but contains a lot of well known and popular catchphrases. This book will give you plenty of "a-ha" moments. Well researched and clearly written. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed.

What a great gift! I set it out on the living room table and what a conversation starter. I loved it so much, I gave it out as gifts during the Holidays.

What a hit!!!

I bought this book as gift for my wife on Mother's Day, and my wife is enjoying the book. I am from Nashville and have listened to Karlen on the radio here in Nashville, and she is a very talented "media" personality and I knew her book would be a HIT with my wife. It is a very entertaining read.

What a great little book and a perfect conversation starter. My friends think I'm so smart because I know where all their sayings come from. I'm giving them as Mother's Day, Father's Day and Graduation presents. Love it!

My husband never relaxes he is always either at work or working on the house. I bought him the set of four of these puzzle books. He loves challenging his mind and learning new things. This series is great at getting him to sit for awhile. He still is doing something but resting at the same time. My teenage kids also have gotten in on reading and doing these books. We love the whole bathroom reader collection. I have even given bathroom reader books to my in laws as presents and they love them as well. Its a gotta have book in our house.

This book had all the puzzles that I love and a great mix of them too. It also has a few fun facts and stories to keep things interesting. Love it.

I did not buy the book for myself but for my son who is (sad to say) currently in jail. He did enjoy the book and it helped to pass the time and I will be ordering him another the books soon. Thanks

This is a puzzle book like no other -- it's got something for everyone. The crosswords and other puzzles are very high quality (but not necessarily hard) and the quizzes are fun and funny, just like the Uncle John readers. We've been playing it together as a family and we've been consistently amazed and amused. Other puzzle books usually concentrate on one kind of puzzle, but this one has a great variety of fun stuff to do. We can't wait for the next one!

My six year old received this for xmas and loves it!! It is challenging and FUN for him. He definitely needs help with some of the spelling, but thoroughly enjoys it! And how can you complain about something that helps with penmanship and spelling skills!!

Our daughter is at a 1st grade reading and writing level and she loves this book. She definitely needs help with spelling some of the words but loves that she can do many of the lines herself. The pictures are clear, the boxes are large. Overall a well done book!

I work with kids with autism who are very bright, but need to practice writing and communication skills. The picture crosswords give them a fun alternative to writing paragraphs and a little more workout than a regular crossword, since they need to translate the picture into words and then figure out where to put the word in the grid. It is a big hit with them and a great exercise for them.

Let's play vocabulary catch-up: The word "ketchup" is as American as burgers and fries, right? Wrong! The word is actually derived from the Chinese word "ke-jap," which means "fish sauce." In this fascinating volume, renowned linguist Eugene Ehrlich takes us on an eye-opening (and sometimes jaw-dropping) tour of how Americans have taken words from other languages and used them as our own. Kitsch? It's German, and means "trash." Ukulele? It's Hawaiian, and means (literally) "leaping flea." High muck-a-muck? It's Chinook and means "plenty to eat." The book is plenty of fun.

I enjoyed this book for many reasons. Number one, the title alone is enough to make you want to buy it. How can you resist? I write every day (newspaper) and it helps to have a book like this. I am always looking for creative ways to express myself and this is what this does for you. I find it even more helpful that he supplies a guide for pronunciation so I don't have to sound like an idiot if I want to use one of these words in a conversation.

This illuminating, well-researched and entertaining reference, introduces us to a comprehensive collection of foreign words and phrases that have, over many decades, been adopted, assimilated, and absorbed into our English lexicon.
This book is written in a very clear, informative style, with the author's whimsical, humorous commentaries often adding a pleasurable and often witty touch to his discussion.
The words are arranged alphabetically in a dictionary format, which facilitates browsing or consulting. Each entry includes the word's pronunciation, origin, original meaning, approximate date of introduction into English, and the meaning of its current usage.
If you want to know how, when and where words like smorgasbord, chutzpah and paparazzi, and expressions like femme fatale and persona non grata made it into English, then, this is the book you need. It's a fun historical record of our vocabulary's most celebrated international contributors.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R17GN5EJSN8ZZE A series of clips from Charles Hodgson's readings of his book Carnal Knowledge: A Navel Gazer's Dictionary of Anatomy, Etymology, and Trivia

Great fun and interesting information BUT the pictures on the cover (implying it's just a mundane sexual romp) stop me from giving it to my Grandkids and others who would love the content.

I HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT VARIOUS PUZZLE BOOKS ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. I WAS DELIGHTED TO FIND THIS PARTICULAR PUZZLE BOOK ABOUT CATS. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO GET TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR FELINE FRIEND AND ALSO TO TEST YOUR SMARTS ABOUT HIM OR HER. THERE IS A GREAT VARIETY OF PUZZLES IN THIS BOOK AND I KNOW YOU WILL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS I HAVE. SINCE I HAVEN'T YET FOUND ANY SEQUELS TO IT, I HAVE HAD TO CONTROL MY IMPULSE OF DOING TOO MANY, SO I WON'T FINISH THE WHOLE BOOK TOO SOON. KEEP CHECKING BACK IF IT'S NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'LL LOVE IT. I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR REVIEWS TOO.

this is quite an interesting book, as i am fascinated with death. perhaps knowing how one leaves the world makes death more familiar, especially in the case of suicide. read it, books like this are quaint and dainty, as the brits say.

I ordered this book after a Canadian friend mentioned it to me, and I found out that it was the #1 best-seller on Amazon Canada. I'm terrible with recognizing song lyrics, but many of my friends are really good at it. I started going through the book as soon as I got it last night, figuring that I'd use it to study up on song lyrics and impress my friends, but immediately I was so impressed with how much great info is in it, and with the hilarious trivia the author included. Now I'm planning to order extra copies to give as gifts. The writer has a great sense of humor and the book is so easy to use -- it'll be great for a car ride or just for sitting around with friends or family playing games on a holiday or a Saturday night. I'm VERY happy with this purchase!

I enjoyed the book very much. It was a new way to expirience the mystery that is Lost.

This is the best Lost book on the market. I am amazed at how original it is. I love it and I recommend it to all Lost fans, especially the fans who went nuts over The Lost Experience and Find 815. And it is as big a challenge as they were. This book is a definite buy if you are a fan of the show.

I recently got my book and am impressed with how it looks and its contents. I think any fan of LOST will find the puzzles and brain teasers alot of fun and entertaining. The book is full of mind games and I especially like that the puzzle answers are available because I have to know if I guessed right or wrong! I can't wait to get back to the book and work on more of the word games and puzzles. I am surprised so far with how much I recall from the episodes I've have watched. The book will make a great gift idea too.

In a fortuitous coincidence, when the great powers of the world decided to embrace madness over reason, war over peace, and to send their great weapons against one another, I found myself deep underground in an almost completed government research facility.

I was only supposed to be there to make a delivery of equipment, but once I felt the ground began to shake as the great disaster unfolded on the surface, I knew I would find myself alone in that cavernous tomb for quite some time to come. The lab wasn't supposed to fully staffed for at least three more months and the first crews weren't going to report the until the next week. I was just the delivery guy.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into years, I began to explore my surroundings. I found a vast array of scientific equipment, banks of computers, and volumes upon volumes on every scientific theory from electromagnetism to astrophysics.

Also, in a different room I stumbled upon a well worn and dog eared copy of this volume, LOST Mind Games. I used the quizzes and games to keep my sanity as I spent the ensuing decades studying and learning all that was written in the other tomes.

I began with math, and then to physics, and from there into relativity. It was at this point that I was able to develop a solution to the Grand Unified Theory of Everything.

If you are reading this message, then I was successful in trying to send two messages back across the barriers of space and time. The first was to the leaders of the great nations of the word, telling them of what would happen should they continue down their warlike ways. The other was much further back, to the early twenty first century, a review of the wonderful book which kept my sanity through the many decades.

Thank you Anne Dawson. If you are seeing this, then your book may very well have saved the world.

My two teens (16 and 19) went nuts for this book when they saw it at their cousin's house over the holiday weekend. They have been bugging me for three days to buy it for them. I took the earlier reviewers advice and bought one for each of them. I may be back to buy one for my husband. I have a feeling he may want his own copy once he gets his hands on it.