Overview

'Delightful' Steven Pinker 'A joy to read' David Crystal Swamp or bog? Guilt or shame? Poisonous or venomous? We pick from a wealth of words to express ourselves each day, giving precious little thought to the specifics or their meaning. But are we using them with any degree of accuracy - or should that be precision? For hair-splitters and language lovers, Dictionary of Fine Distinctions explores the words that too many of us collapse, conflate or confuse. Inspecting the vanishingly small distinctions between them that make all the difference, Eli Burnstein's witty deep dives into everything from food and fashion to ethics and architecture will sharpen your understanding, tickle your mind and bring clarity at last.

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9781805227229

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Reviews

This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it -- Steven Pinker * The Language Instinct * A great idea, beautifully realized. I shall never have a latte again without thinking of this book! A joy to read -- David Crystal * How Language Works * One doesn't have to read for long before experiencing a 'Eureka' moment, in which a previously murky subject comes into focus * Wall Street Journal * An immensely satisfying book * Washington Examiner *

Buy this for every word nerd you know and watch them fibrillate with delight as they gulp it down -- Lucy Mangan * Bookish * A great idea, beautifully realized. I shall never have a latte again without thinking of this book! A joy to read -- David Crystal * How Language Works * This delightful book is a tribute to the genius of the human mind for conceptual precision and the beauty of the English language in capturing it -- Steven Pinker * The Language Instinct * Engaging, challenging and sometimes infuriating - a gem of a book that will help you be both precise and accurate, and distinguish between the two -- Simon Garfield * Just My Type * One doesn't have to read for long before experiencing a 'Eureka' moment, in which a previously murky subject comes into focus * Wall Street Journal * An immensely satisfying book * Washington Examiner *

Author Information

Eli Burnstein is a Canadian humour writer, living in London. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, Weekly Humorist and Points in Case. He runs a spelling bee (Spelling Bae) that has been featured in the Toronto Star and the National Post, and on CBC Radio.

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