This was a really fun book of words. I enjoyed it a lot, etymology is something that is super interesting to me.

I deducted from the title and cover that this book would be fun, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it! Etymology has been something that is interesting to me, but many educational materials are dry. Zafarris has the best writing style - drawing a natural connection among words and adding cultural references and humor. I learned so much, and shared fun facts with friends I think this book would entertain anyone!

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

What an utterly fabulous book. As someone who regularly has to pause in conversations (and in teaching lessons) if I realise I don’t know the etymology of a word, this is absolutely the book for me. I was hooked even from the introduction. I can’t wait to add some of the gems learnt here into my lessons. A treasure trove of fascinating information - it will be my gift to all my fellow word-lovers this year!

Useless Etymology turned out to be an unexpected gem! Exploring the origins of words has always intrigued me, but it’s rare to find a take on the subject that feels this lively. The author blends sharp insights with humor, making each discovery feel fresh and exciting. A fantastic read for anyone who enjoys uncovering hidden stories in everyday language!

An absolute treat of a book.

Absolutely rammed with fascinating titbits and facts. There are far too many for me to list but personal favourites included the petty reasons behind the silent 'b' in words like debt, how women and female are NOT derived from man and male; and how the word electricity can be traced back to amber - but you'll have to read the book itself to find out how!

Despite being page after page of information it is presented in an engaging, well written way.

I won't remember everything I read in it, but then that isn't the point. This is a book to be enjoyed and then referred back to, time and time again. And while reading through it, you get to be 'that' friend, gleefully sharing the latest fact you've learnt.

I am looking forward to picking up a physical copy when it comes out, as well as tracking down the author's previous works.

I love etimology and this book was very attractive to me! I found it a bit slow at times - I think that's pretty much inevitable with a book like this - but overall very informative and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic! One thing about it I didn't like that much was the fact that many of the words I already new, just because as a native Spanish and Italian speaker Latin roots are pretty obvious to me, but I think it's very objectively NOT the book's fault, so that didn't really affect my rating.

Matters of language don’t often grab my interest, but on a bit of a whim I decided to give this title a try. To say the least, I am now very appreciative of past me’s decision. This book proved to be an immediate delight in many ways. My only quibble honestly is with the title - although I get it’s a playful joke, “Useless Etymology” is most definitely anything but useless. Not only is it wonderfully informative on a general level, but as a former ESL teacher, it frankly was eye-opening to see all the ways that my native tongue is such a peculiar language so clearly spelled out with so many countless examples. Overall, this is nothing less than an informative joy of a read!

I decided to check this out for fun and could not put it down. I devoured it and thought it was so interesting. Definitely a fun book that goes through explaining the deeper meanings behind words. It was nice to read the research behind the words. I had no clue that so many words came from Shakespeare! I can’t wait to pick this book up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

This was a delightful and informative read that I will continue to think about!

Although there was a plethora of interesting etymology information, I was especially intrigued to learn that English speakers adopted the word Kudos in the 1700s from the Greek word for "glory" and was likely adopted by students who studied The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The author has a clear understanding of the subject and has a captivating writing style, definitely worth the read.

Firstly I want to say thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is positively delightful and a real treat to read. If you're a fan of languages or etymology then this book is 100% for you. Even if you're not and want something light, but interesting to read then this book is for you too!

This book is packed with a range of different words, from Gen-Z slang to more less common words too. It's honestly really interesting seeing the way language and words have developed over time. And the way sometimes the older words modern phrases are derived from mean completely different things! It's got cool tidbits of information in it that I'll probably end up remembering in the most random of times.

I think my favourite has to be kit and caboodle/caboodle because it reminds me of that one CBeebies quiz show. I can't remember what its called but the characters were definitely called Kit and Kaboodle. Update: it's called Kerwhizz I absolutely adored that show as a child.

I also liked how it went through words in other different languages. So used to hearing about how everything is Latin, so seeing Arabic, Hebrew, Native American, and African languages was refreshing.

I feel like this would be a perfect coffee table book that you can pick up randomly and just flick through some of the pages to learn something new. Would definitely recommend it for sure!

I had so much fun with this, it's the perfect book for anyone who has an interest in etymology. The writing is quite engaging so you can learn more about the topic without getting bored

Very fun and engaging. I love linguistics so I was thrilled to receive a copy of this book. I'll definitely pick up a physical copy when it's published. later this year! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I sure hope this book will help me with trivia/jeopardy! I had such a good time reading this and trying to decipher beforehand if I knew the information or not … two years of high school latin can only get you so far

Even for people that are new to this topic, it's a really recommendable, enjoyful book, It's packed with suprising facts and traces back everyday words to their (partly) unexpected origins. With so much to learn, it's both engaging and informative, yet at no point does the writing get dry or boring.

This is exactly the type of informative but readable and enjoyable book I love.

I found it very engaging and interesting. It would be easy to dip in and out of, reading about just a few words - but I read most of it in one sitting!

There were so many facts and fascinating historical snippets which I am bound to be telling people for years to come.

I have no idea why I decided to pick up this book and I am very happy that I did. It was full of fun little facts and now I have new factoids to educate (and torture) my teenage children. I liked how the book was divided into sections and especially liked Part 3 and the origins of the more silly words.

The book opens in a very fun way and moves us through etymology and introduction for the book and chapters, as well as throughout all the book seamlessly.
The explanation is easy to follow and understand.
It is fun and entertaining to through as it's full of "trivia and factoids" (read the book to understand the inside joke).
My only grievance is that I didn't feel there was a system to how we moved from word to word and theme to theme. Not to say it didn't make a sensible flow, just that I couldn't track a system of movement.
The book explained grammatical terminologies that are not encountered on daily basis in a clear and simple way, it definitely gave me more than I bargained for on that front.

I requested the book, well because I am a nerd, and because I wanted some inspiration. And it 💯 delivered!