Sol Steinmetz

how and why words change meaning

Semantic antics

A lively reference for language enthusiasts traces etymologies of terms from the past century, noting a significant increase in vocabulary words throughout the period while exploring how American culture has contributed to English-language expansion.

The Explosion of the American Language Since 1900

There's a Word for it

"With a collection of quotations from literature and the press, Steinmetz documents the unusually high lexical, semantic, and intonational exchanges between Yiddish and English in America. He offers more than 1,200 Yiddish words, expressions, idioms, and phrases that have melted into the English vernacular.".

The Story of Yiddish in America

Yiddish & English

Carol G. Braham

Ideal for school or the office, this compact and comprehensive edition has over 60,000 entries.

Webster's Desk Dictionary

Word geeks (1984), rejoice! Crack open these covers and immerse yourself in a mind-expanding (1963) compendium of the new words (or new meanings of words) that have sprung from American life to ignite the most vital, inventive, fruitful, and A-OK (1961) lexicographical Big Bang (1950) since the first no-brow (1922) Neanderthal grunted meaningfully. From the turn of the twentieth century to today, our language has grown from around 90,000 new words to some 500,000—at least, that’s today’s best guesstimate (1936). What accounts for this quantum leap (1924)? In There’s a Word for It, language expert Sol Steinmetz takes us on a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (1949) joyride (1908) through our nation’s cultural history, as seen through the neato (1951) words and terms we’ve invented to describe it all. From the quaintly genteel days of the 1900s (when we first heard words such as nickelodeon, escalator, and, believe it or not, Ms.) through the Roaring Twenties (the time of flappers, jalopies, and bootleg booze) to the postwar ’50s (the years of rock ’n’ roll, beatniks, and blast-offs) and into the new millennium (with its blogs, Google, and Obamamania), this feast for word lovers is a boffo (1934) celebration of linguistic esoterica (1929). In chapters organized by decade, each with a lively and informative narrative of the life and language of the time, along with year-by-year lists of words that were making their first appearance, There’s a Word for It reveals how the American culture contributed to the evolution and expansion of the English language and vice versa. Clearly, it’s must-reading (1940). And not to disparage any of the umpteen (1918) other language books on the shelf—though they have their share of hokum (1917) and gobbledygook (1944)—but this one truly is the bee’s knees and the cat’s pajamas (1920s).

There's a Word for It

Clarence Lewis Barnhart

Robert K. Barnhart

The Second Barnhart Dictionary of New English

Barbara Ann Kipfer

If time travelers from the nineteenth century dropped in on us, our strange vocabulary would shock them just as much as our TVs, cars, and computers. Society changes, and so does its word stock. The Life of Language reveals how pop culture, business, technology, and other forces of globalization expand and enrich the English language, forming thousands of new words every year. In this fascinating and jargon-free guide, lexicographers Kipfer and Steinmetz reconstruct the births of thousands of words, including infantries, poz, mobs, Soho, dinks, choo choos, frankenfoods, LOL, narcs and perps. · A word lover’s guide to etymology, written in a fun, informal, and accessible style · An excellent resource for vocabulary building; a word's root helps readers understand its meaning · Beautifully packaged paperback with French flaps From the Trade Paperback edition.

The fascinating ways words are born, live & die

The Life of Language

Robert Barnhart

Defines new words, describes new meanings of old words, and offers information on euphemisms, proper names, coinages, technical terms, and trademarks

Third Barnhart Dictionary of New English

Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms is a unique and much needed resource to the way many Hebrew, Yiddish, and Aramaic words and meanings are used by English speakers. Sol Steinmetz draws upon his years of experience as an editor of dictionaries, as well as his lifelong study of Jewish history, traditions, and practices, to lead the reader through the essentially uncharted territory of Jewish usage. Dictionary of Jewish Usage clarifies the meanings of Jewish terms that have been absorbed into English, as well as the transliterated Hebrew terms from sacred texts that reflect differing pronunciations. The dictionary also explains terms that are often misused, sheds light on the meaning of clusters of terminology, and delineates the etymology and pronunciation of many words, making this an invaluable guide for anyone curious about Jewish usage.

Sol Steinmetz

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