In The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words, you'll discover the surprising (and sometimes dark) origins of common terms; weird words from across the ages; a timeline of popular slang; tips and tricks to win at your favorite word games; a collection of the best insults from history; and much more. You'll also find the the answers to questions like: Is there a synonym for the word synonym? Why do people hate the word moist? What fast food chain went to war with the dictionary? Why do we tell a person to take something "with a grain of salt"? From obscure words to the differences between commonly misused terms, this linguistic miscellany is sure to spice up your vocabulary, make you a wniz at word games, and prepare you for plenty of wordy repartee for your next soiree with bizarre terms you never knew you needed.