Totally useless—and completely delightful. This book made me feel smarter and weirder about words I use every day. Jess Zafarris turns etymology into a kind of chaotic treasure hunt, full of odd facts, delightful detours, and words I thought I understood until five minutes ago. It's like getting cornered at a party by someone who knows way too much about language—and somehow, you're thrilled about it. A perfect read for anyone who's ever asked, “Wait, why do we say that?”

I have always been fascinated by words, so when I saw this book I thought it was a perfect one for me. Filled with the history of words, their meanings and how those meanings have changed through time (clever was once an insult?!) This book is a fun look at the English language and how it has changed through time with the addition of playful facts and examples. Ths is not a quick and easy read due to the sheer volume of information included, but it I's a very worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in language or words. This book on etymology is anything but useless despite the title.

3.5 ⭐

This is not my first etymology book, but my first from this author. I guess that the general idea is there, a lot of words with some fun facts about them, a down-to-earth approach to writing that makes an otherwise arid subject, fun and easy for laymen. But there are parts were the coherence is missing and the connection between the words explained is just not there.

Overall an interesting read, but could be better. Obviously, is a difficult subject to render in a book, so KUDOS to the author for her work!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I intend for this rating to be 4.5 instead of 4.

Wow! What an interesting read. This book was filled with interesting facts with the perfect amount of humour. This book is perfect for anyone who loves linguistics, history or any kind of fun. I could not put this book down which feels weird to say for a book about words but it is true.

Reading Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris was like embarking on a delightful treasure hunt through the quirks and histories of the English language. I was constantly surprised by the unexpected, often humorous origins of everyday words, and I loved how the book revealed the fascinating, cross-cultural journey that shapes the language we speak today. It left me with a renewed sense of wonder for the beautiful chaos of language and a deeper appreciation for its rich, winding history.

This was a really educational read, and also really funny! Zafarris injects humour into each subsection and introduced me to many new words. The commentary made the book so much more than a simple collection of facts, turning it into an enjoyable peek into our author's mind.

The author does a great job at explaining the etymology of many disparate words, grouping them in chapters that guide the reader and entertain throughout. As a non-native English speaker, I found the book enlightening and informative, helping me in improving my mastering of the language. It did so without ever falling into being pedantic or boring.

I received an ARC copy from Chambers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! As an English teacher, polyglot, and amateur linguist I am absolutely in love with this book. I believe that etymology should be taught in all language subjects. Despite the name, no etymology is useless.

In the cult classic movie Ten Things I Hate About You, released in 1999, Bianca Stratford asks the question “I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?”. Useless Etymology’s author Jess Zafarris answers that “you can, in fact, be just ‘whelmed’ [. . . ] Etymologically speaking at least” (88).

This book is full of fun facts about words and will be of interest to anyone who has ever wondered about why we say the things we say. It addresses myths, words derived from other languages, and how Shakespeare changed words to retain his iambic pentameter.

Recommended for High School students and Adult readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the ARC!

I enjoyed reading about vocabulary and this book is one such book. I enjoyed reading it and how each word came into existence. An informative book and gives insight into where these words came from and what were its roots

🥜 In a Nutshell: A reference book for the origin of different words.

✅ Shows how words evolved over time
✅ Humorous background stories
✅ How spelling of words changed

I am someone who has always been interested in words and where they came from. Some words are interesting and others are just strange. This book had a lot of interesting information about random words and how they came to be. It showed the origin of the word and how the meaning and spelling changed over time and countries. Different cultures affected the spelling and meaning. Sometimes the reasons were silly and sometimes sad or serious. I really enjoyed learning about different words through this book. However, the one thing I wish I could change is the layout of the book. It is broken down into chapters, where some are organized by topic like animals or games but others are more random and flow from one word into another random word with some minor connection. Since this book had a lot of information in it, it was hard to read quickly for a review while retaining information so I found myself skimming over the words I didn't care as much about. I feel like because of the volume of information in the book, it would have worked better as a reference book instead of one that you read front to back. If it were arranged alphabetically like a dictionary then you could look up whatever word you are curious about at that time. Because I didn't enjoy the format and it would be hard to find the word I'm looking for at a later time, I took off a star. Now maybe the physical book would have an index to find the words easier but the ebook I read did not. I still enjoyed the information and if I had more time with it and I could more easily look up words, I would really enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review! All opinions expressed are my own.

This was a lovely and delightful book. As a self-proclaimed word nerd, this book was right up my alley. I really enjoyed learning the quirky history and origin of words. The author writes in a fun, digestible, and fascinating way that is really engaging to me as a reader. I found myself thinking that so much of this book would be make fun trivia conversation. I would definitely recommend this to other fellow word nerds.

As an English teacher, I’m always on the lookout for books that offer something fresh and insightful about language, and Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris definitely delivered on that front. I was drawn to this book because, like many language lovers, I find etymology both fascinating and endlessly amusing. Zafarris’ approach to the subject is lighthearted, witty, and, most importantly, fun.

The book takes a humorous look at the strange and often absurd origins of words and phrases. What I really appreciated was how Zafarris manages to blend education with entertainment—this is not a dry, academic tome, but rather a delightful exploration of the quirky history behind everyday terms. The anecdotes about where certain words come from or how their meanings have evolved over time are both amusing and enlightening. As someone who teaches language and literature, I found myself laughing out loud and then immediately wanting to share some of these bizarre word histories with my students.

Zafarris’ tone is conversational and approachable, making this a perfect read for anyone curious about language, whether they’re a word nerd like me or just someone who enjoys a good laugh. Her ability to blend factual information with humorous commentary is spot on, and I can see myself recommending this to students who are studying linguistics or just love language in general.

If you're an English teacher like me, Useless Etymology is a great resource for adding some fun, lighthearted moments to your lessons. It's a book that both entertains and educates, and I could definitely see myself picking it up again whenever I need a little inspiration to spark a conversation about language with my students. Highly recommended for anyone who loves words—whether for their utility or their delightful absurdities.

This book caught my attention because of its beautiful cover but also because as a linguist, you can imagine etymology as a field of linguistics is very important to me. I love reading about words and where they come from and to pick the right ones when I have to write or translate (among many things).

Words are important and etymology can tell us a lot about words and the people who use them. Language is dynamic, "language as social practice" shapes and it is shaped by society. We can coin new words, stop using them. The discourse around some words can shift from negative to positive or viceversa.

This book was divided into three parts and covered a lot of terms without going too deep into their history and meaning, so I'd say this book can be read by anyone who likes reading about the origin of words (if you are reading my review, you probably are). I knew several etymologies and some others, I discovered by reading this book. I like I felt like I was conversing with a friend and I liked the informal tone of this book. I may check other books by the author since I really like this topic.

Thanks to the editor and NetGalley for letting me read this book in advance.

A book about the etymology of a random spattering of words that I don’t think is as useless as the title says.

It touches on a variety of words, separated by different categories, and talks about fun word plays and extra long words and words based on animals or the origins of the names of the month. There’s humor and fun sprinkled throughout the writing so it’s much more engaging than a standard textbook and it’s clear the author has done a lot of research on what they’re talking about, with an extensive bibliography that isn’t just internet sites. I’m not sure they have a background in linguistics or languages in particular, but they definitely seem to know a lot about words.

Some sections are more interesting than others, and I’m not sure how they decided what words to include and whether the way the book is organized makes the most sense. Also I’m not sure if all sections will make sense to people who don’t have some background in having formally learned a second language (terms like ablative and dative came up, but I only ever learned about them from Latin and Greek class). But this was entertaining and any reader will come away from this with a few new words in their vocabulary.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and the book had some strong points. I particularly enjoyed the section on unpaired words. Zafarris has a good sense of humor that comes through clearly. It was very informative but sometimes felt like a stream of consciousness, with one thing running into another and I would lose the thread. Overall though, it was well worth reading and I recommend it for people who love learning about languages. Thank you to Netgalley and Chambers for the advance reader copy.

This is a really entertaining and informative overview of etymology, which covers an awful lot of ground. The tone is a mix of the folksy and the whimsical, which suits the subject matter and mostly comes off well without becoming irritating. If you want to add words like absquatulate and skeuomorphism to your vocabulary (and who doesn't?), this is the book for you.

This book is fun and informative!
I love learning about the origins of words so this book spoke to my heart and brain.
A number of times I found myself messaging friends with explanations of origins of words (corgi was a fave!)

Written with humour and accessible language. A must read for fans of the written English language.

This book is a delight! It’s especially a treat for those of us who are fascinated with words. I love feeling empowered and that’s what “Useless Etymology” made me feel after reading it. I felt empowered with the knowledge that yes, language has a set of rules, BUT we could never possibly know and fully understand them all because they’re ever-changing! And that the best part of knowing words is using them for fun!!

I loved that this book began with the explanation and history of the word “hello” and did the same with “goodbye” for the ending. I also adored the parting advice to play with language, stay curious and to never fear having to look up words, and to ultimately remember we should use our words for GOOD.

Some memorable moments for me:
•sideburns came from a guy with the last name of Burnside.
•learning why the “B” is silent in words like doubt and debt.
•the history and meaning behind the seasons and months.
•the word “honeymoon” breaking down to mean a month of the honeyed glow of happiness. :)
•giddy meaning possessed by a god or insane.

All in all, if you love words and writing and reading and would like to feel a little more empowered by the words we use and why we use them the way we do — give this book a go!

A fun read for people that love a fun fact. It's a great gift for your friend that always says random know-it-all things but you actually learn something real.