Entertaining- and Educational

‘How to Sound Clever is a jaunty romp through the groves of vocabulary, conducted with plenty of irony and wit, as the title would suggest. The 600 words are chosen with real judgement: these are not recherché heirlooms, dragged out of disuse for their curiosity value, but words on the fringes of the mainstream, lucidly explained. A profoundly agreeable book, full of charm.’

Will Le Fleming, English Teacher, St Paul's School, London

‘Entertaining, well-researched and informative, this is the sort of book into which one is irresistibly drawn to dip. It provides many a surprise and gives rise to many a smile.’

David Colman, Former Head of Modern Languages, Eton College

Hardback £9.999781408194850

bagatelle?

Pick up a copy of How to Sound Really Clever for the full story…

epistemological?

immiseration?

nom de guerre?

tergiversation?

Follow Hubert on Twitter at @Soundclever

How to Sound Really Clever explains and illustrates 500 words that can outfox us, such as ‘condign,’ ‘anachronistic,’ ‘Zelig-like,’ and ‘agitprop.’ Each entry features an etymological description as well as useful example phrases so that readers can quickly see the correct context for each word. Anecdotes and witty illustrations appear throughout to make a book that is entertaining and will help the reader boost their vocabulary. An ideal gift and a wonderful book for everyone to have to hand when they come across a word they should know, but don’t.

www.bloomsbury.com