"Have you ever heard the word "nickname" and wondered who Nick is? At first glance, you might think, "Well, Nick is short for Nicholas so uhh, it. Nick is a nickname-thus, nickname." But it turns out there is no Nick. There never was a Nick. Nick doesn't exist. (Sorry Nick)"

I had a chuckle when I read this fun fact about the origins of nicknames. As an absolute nerd for learning about the history and evolution of language I loved this book. So many great fun facts, and I love the fact that it's just a fun book to jump in and out of whenever you feel like it, it's not something that needs to be read in a linear fashion as such. You will learn lots of things that are both funny and informative; & there's a good chance you won't have come across a lot of the facts before. If you enjoy knowing the origins of words/language and how it's evolved, this is a fun starter read. My son enjoys me reading some of it out to him out of the blue just to amuse him, easy reading for young teens and upwards, fun reading for younger kids with a grown ups help for some of the words. I'll definitely be buying a physical copy when it is published. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher (John Murray Press) for the opportunity to read this before its official publication, it was fun. I am now off to see if I can find Jess Zafarris' previous works that sound just as fun and interesting.

Since I read this book for a prompt for a competitive readathon, for a timed prompt, I read it all in one evening, as a 'reading book' rather than a 'reference book' and it kinda worked for that purpose. I would suggest if you want to read this book cover to cover, though, that you read a chapter or two at a sitting, so you can absorb the information more comfortably. That said, it is readable. And while some of the information in this book was familiar to me from school or other reading, there was a lot in this book I did not know beforehand, and the information new to me may actually include words and trivia I could use in real life. And, the words and trivia cover more than just Western Europe, the British Empire, or the US, and include bits of information from many cultures, socioeconomic sources, and times.

DNF

I applied for this book through NetGalley because I found the annotation interesting and fun.
I started the book and really wanted to like it, but unfortunately, I found the writing style a bit off-putting and couldn’t keep up with the text. It’s a nice idea, though, and I believe many people will find this book interesting!

So, if you are looking for a daily dose of knowledge about etymology — or otherworldly insights into how different words came to life, how people used to use them, and how we use them now — you might really enjoy this book!

I might get back to it later when I’m in the mood for something like that, but I’m not sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Actual rating: 4.25

As someone who's curious about languages and words, I've found this book intriguing and entertaining at the same time. In fact, Zafarris leads you through how etymology and words work using the required vocabulary but without being pedantic or too scientific. Moreover, the author keeps alternating more specific analysis of words to show how a linguistics device works and fun facts about historical and social backgrounds of such words, always with fun remarks and more, but shorter, examples of other words that work in a similar way. Bonus point is the fact that you can read this book without following an order: just read whatever you feel more curious about and then jump back and forth without any gaps in your newfound knowledge.

Given its structure and how it's written, this book is perfect for both people who already have a foundation of Linguistics and how languages work, and for anyone who have no idea where to start but are just curious about how some English words came about and how they might have fun trying to make sense of words and such in English but also other languages.

Thanks to the publisher and the author for allowing me to read the arc on NetGalley.

love this book! such a fun read - given me a lot more fun facts to throw at people in future :) really well written! can't fault it :)

This was okay! I found myself getting a little bored and not really able to read it cover to cover, and I generally really like linguistics books. It was a good one to pick up every once in a while and learn a fact or two. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is hilarious, or should I say mirthful? Anyone who’s ever wondered why we say some things, or whence a word originated will relish this book. Enough with my purple prose - a term I learned here - this is a very enjoyable read. The author has devoted her life to etymology, a field that is not too hip but is fascinating. She examines not only words, but expressions and even punctuation marks. In here, you can learn the origin of the months, the seasons, constellations, short words, long ones, even foreign terms. She delves into the mutual influence of art and pop culture on language. I am not a Native speaker, so some words are easier for me to understand than others. In this book I figured out it’s because a large part of English is based on Latin (as is Spanish, my mother tongue). Zafarris is funny, approachable and has a knack for finding the most interesting factoids. From antiquity to emojis, Useless Etymology is entertaining and informative. If nothing else, you’ll become the Scrabble champion. Frabjous!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/John Murray Press | Chambers.

this book was so much fun! since getting back into reading I have become more interested in languages and the origins of them so getting to read a book that discusses where we get a lot of our words and how they came to be was super fascinating. I will say this book is better if you read it in pieces between other books and now as a read at once.

4.5
Is it my favorite book about the topic? Maybe not, but it certainly is the one I would recommend if someone asks me, although it is quite unlikely that someone will. It gives us the etymology of common words we use every day, to old ones that we didn't know we wanted to know. I see that some of the reviwes didn't like the structure of the book, I do not know if it is just me, or my ADHD, but I loved it, it did feel like hoping from one topic to another, but this way was way more engaging to me, rather than having them in an alphabetical order or something like that and it just made sence.
The fact that I was going to read just a bit of it, but ended up finishing it in one sitting, I feel like says all you need to know... that and the fact that I wish I had this book 10 years ago in Uni, during the 'language anthropology' class.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC copy

Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds by Jess Zafarris is an informative book on the origins of words that all word smiths and etymologists will enjoy.
While I expected the book to be more humorous and less textbook-like, there is no denying its educational value. I particularly enjoyed the references to Shakespeare and the words that he is credited with inventing.
If you are a lover of words who is in the mood for an in depth look at their origins, this is the book for you.
Thank you for the ARC of #UselessEtymology to #NetGalley.

Useless Etymology was a beautifully thought out and entertaining book! The title and cover were giving "fun and quirky" and it did not disappoint! Although the book has a lot of information, Jess Zafarris' writing style makes it easy for the reader to follow and understand. Some sections of the book will contain lengthier explanations of a word's history and evolution, while others are presented as short, quick facts.

My only complaint is the book's title because none of the information was useless! From their origin to present-day use, it was interesting to see how words and their definitions were created or deconstructed. This is definitely one of those books that you want to have easily accessible on your bookshelf or coffee table to pull out during gatherings and discuss with friends!

I am looking forward to now reading Jess Zafarris' previous works!

This book was entertaining and enjoyable to read. I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

If you're a nerd for words, this book will hit the spot. It's easy to read, entertaining, and it will teach you a lot about the origins of words. It's packed with history and fun facts you'll be able to share with other people. If English is your second language, this will be even more entertaining and engaging. Overall, a great, easy-to-read book about etymology that will definitely satisfy curious minds.

The deeper layers to words is a world of fascinating stories, human interconnectedness, and at times pure silliness. Etymology is an extremely interesting subject that can suffer from people’s perceptions on the dryness of grammar and/or history.

This book proves that if that’s what you believe - you’d just been taught incorrectly. Jess delivers a huge breadth of etymological information in a fun tone, great pace, and easy to access manner. It’s an absolute delight of a book. I loved the variety of knowledge contained in these pages.

This book has so much information that it’s perfect for etymology novices through to experienced people. Your fun fact collect will also adore this. Also!! It’s perfect for those who get frustrated by pedantic people that believe words can’t change or get irritated by “misuse” of language - eye opening insights into historical uses of words.

Jess delivers a nice balance of fast fact snippets and longer segments of explanations to keep this book lively and always able to match the mood of the reader. I also appreciate it’s been designed to be flexibly read in any order - which can make it seem there’s not as much structured flow, but there is a logic to the exploration. Personally, I’d enjoy more in depth segments to explore some of the concepts that were quickly provided. However, I can see the benefits of keeping this snappy for broader audience satisfaction.

My only complaint - and this is directed at the kindle mobile app and not the author/book - is that the formatting of this book on the app isn’t quite poor. Footnotes disrupt flow and aren’t consistently displayed, dot points run into one another, and sentences sometimes jump into new paragraphs. These structural issues can throw you out of the flow Jess has written.

Delightfully fun tales of words. Stories of word origins, how language ebbs and flows and follows history as it changes. A book that's designed to be dipped into and read in chunks. The explanations can be a bit long-winded at times, but overall a delight.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

I'm going to be honest and admit the truth: I am a "word nerd." So when I saw a book titled "Useless Etymology," I understood two things. One: this book was going to be incredibly useful for my word obsession. Two: I finally found a nonfiction book on etymology that was entertaining.

I feel that so many times I pick up a nonfiction book, only for its vital information and supporting facts to be presented in a dry, bland manner. It's why I prefer fiction: authors will crank up the creativity. However, I always questioned if I could ever learn to love nonfiction. Well, I finally found my niche in that genre: words!

With my love of reading, English Literature and books came my love of Etymology which continued into university and continues now. So when I say I was excited to read Useless Etymology and I was not disappointed. Written in an engaging and accessible style with a wide focus on the amalgamation of the English Language and how it assimilates numerous words and languages. This book is a must read, not just for those like me who love the idea of studying a language but for everyone.

I love understanding the roots of words, so this was far from useless to me.

It was so interesting to learn that while some words seem similar, the origins are separate.

I think anyone that is a fan of Ologies will enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I loved this! Finally I feel that I am not alone. Loved from the first page, the "hello" the way the book is written. Like we are in a long and delicious conversation. I have to have the printed version of this and I have to gift this to a few people that enjoy the way we are evolved (I wont dive into the word evolve now, maybe later). That is "the" book for me.

★★★★★ — A delightfully nerdy book full of interesting and useful information

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Useless Etymology! This was a joyful and fascinating read. As someone who enjoys learning about language and culture but doesn’t have a background in linguistics, I found this book incredibly accessible without ever feeling spoken down to.

Jess Zafarris makes etymology feel like a conversation with your nerdy friend—or maybe specifically my delightfully nerdy editor friend who always has ten fun facts ready for 99% of situations—the kind who drops things like, “Hello! Did you know that hello didn't become a standard greeting until the introduction of the Bell telephone in 1876?” and then starts talking about why we even call a telephone a telephone.

The book doesn't stick to a rigid structure, and that’s a good thing. It follows threads, goes on tangents, and connects words together in a way that feels organic and engaging. It’s packed with fun facts, cultural references, and genuinely funny commentary. I chuckled often and bookmarked quite a few pages for later reference. As someone who writes, it's a useful tool on top of being a fun read.

One of my favourite sections was "Some Word Over the Rainbow: How Colorful Language Colors Our Perceptions". It was a really interesting discussion on how different languages and cultures conceptualise colour.

Whether you're a writer, a language enthusiast, or just someone who likes to collect weird and wonderful trivia, I'd recommend getting this book. I’m already planning to buy a physical copy for my shelf and refer back to it regularly.

4.5 stars, rounded up.