The Word I'm Thinking Of

A Devilish Dictionary of Difficult Words

By: Michael Gates

Narrated by: Jack Chekijian

Absquatulate. Flumadiddle. Gongoozler. Squintifego. If you love words, you know the strange byways of memory or reverie that stumbling across a certain word or phrase will take you down, especially if it's one you're discovering and finding the meaning of for the first time. Chances are, you have never encountered words as unusual as those collected in this audiobook.

You'll find definitions and parts of speech for each entry. And for each word, the author has also included a quotation to show how the word can be used in context. His hope is that this book will spark interest in these ostrobogulous words and that you will use them in your daily conversations—perhaps as a humorous social-science experiment to see what kinds of reactions you receive. Amaze your friends with your selcouth vocabulary and indulge your inner logophile! This is the perfect book to dip and delve into anytime.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.©2013 Michael Gates (P)2013 Michael Gates

Critic reviews

"This is fabulous fun with unique words that you do not encounter on a regular basis…. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jack Chekjian, who was terrific. It is quite a challenging reading a list of words and definitions, while keeping it interesting. He has nice tone that keeps you engaged throughout…. I really enjoyed this and might pick up the print version of this just to highlight a few of my favorite words. I can also imagine using this as my own word a day challenge." (Eargasms Audiobook Reviews)

Much more fun than the OED Word A Day

I already get the daily emails from the OED and Anu Garg's Wordsmith, but this is ever so much more fun! You not only get to hear the word, but the context as well, followed by a bit of digression related to each word. I'm sure that the visual copy is fun, too, but Narrator Jack adds so much! With Jack, you can be assured that the pronunciations are correct, and there is enough quirk added to the definitions and digressions to compound the enjoyment of learning.
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review

Incredibly witty & humorous way to learn new words

Would you listen to The Word I'm Thinking Of again? Why?

Yes. It will take a couple runs through to really master the words, but that wouldn't be a problem because I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator and short examples he used to describe the words; it was a pure stroke of genius.

What other book might you compare The Word I'm Thinking Of to and why?

I wish I could find other books like this, but I haven't been able to.

Which scene was your favorite?

The part in the book where he gives an example of the word ackamarackus, "of course i would never engage in such balderdash except when I have to conduct personal business that involves writing to some bureaucratic entity, then I turn on the ackamarackus faucet. I start my email with a salutation like 'Dear blank officer (no matter how lowly the recipient) and then compose my request or inquiry using diction and sentence structure of a honey tongued aristocrat 'may I inquiry', 'would it be acceptable', 'may I be so bold as to', 'naturally you may wonder', 'perhaps you would consider' etc. They seem to lap it up.

It made me laugh so much I love it!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

the stories that words tell

Any additional comments?

Loved this book would recommend it to anyone who is concerned with enhancing their vocabulary.

Interesting

This book hits my nerd gene, times ten! I love words! My friends call me, when looking for definitions of words like barristas and pith...
I got this book via promo coupon, for an honest review.

Interesting words to impress your friends

What did you love best about The Word I'm Thinking Of?

I liked that the subject is delivered with a touch of humor.. I liked learning the words.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Word I'm Thinking Of?

When I knew some of the words in the book. Very impressed with myself.

What about Jack Chekijian’s performance did you like?

Easy to understand, spoke with natural cadence and rhythm (hate narrators who speak monotone.)

What insight do you think you’ll apply from The Word I'm Thinking Of?

Not sure about insights, but liked learning new words and expanding my vocabulary.

Any additional comments?

The words in this book are more rare and older than other books of the same subject matter. It's almost like a trip to the past. I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

WORDS

What did you like best about The Word I'm Thinking Of? What did you like least?

These are mostly very obscure words. He specifically says he is not showing derivations, but an understanding of the etymologies would have been very useful to see where these weirdo words came from. Very interesting audio book.

The Word I'm thinking of

This is a fun read narrated nicely by Jack Chekijian.What words do you use,is there a more grandeloquent word that could be substituted?This book has many to choose from!
I was given this book free for an honest review.

Big words used in humorous ways...

***I was gifted this book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review. ***

This book has a ton of BIG words I have never heard of, but they are used in humorous ways. The words (most of them) sound so silly, it made me think they were making them up. Even though I didn't understand the words totally, each word was described and explained in simple ways. 5 minutes later I couldn't tell you what words were even used BUT I will say this... I sure had fun listening to it all.

This book would be an awesome gift for the brainiacs out there and for the people who know it all (not saying in a mean way). I think the genius's and the normal people alike would get a kick out of this book!

The author, Michael Gates sure is smart to even come up with all these words. I bow to you! You found a way to make me think and laugh at the same time. I even wonder if I couldn't learn these words if I did 1 a day. The narrator, Jack Chekijian, I take my hat off to you. You read that entire book without goofing it up! How you were able to pronounce all those words is beyond me! Kudos to you both for such a fine job and for totally entertaining me too!

A Treasure Trove for Word Lovers!

Michael Gates' "The Word I'm Thinking Of: A Devilish Dictionary of Difficult Words" is an absolute delight! From the moment I cracked open this book, I was captivated by its eclectic collection of obscure and fascinating vocabulary. Each page is a journey of discovery, unearthing linguistic gems that have long been hidden in the dusty corners of the English language.

Gates has a knack for not only selecting the most intriguing words but also for presenting them in an engaging and accessible way. His witty definitions and carefully chosen quotations bring each word to life, making it memorable and, dare I say, usable! I found myself chuckling at the clever use of "floccinaucinihilipilification" and marveling at the sheer audacity of "sesquipedalian." This book is a testament to the richness and complexity of our language, reminding us that there's always more to learn and explore.

But alas, as I reached the final page, a sense of longing washed over me. I yearned for more of these delightful linguistic adventures! Mr. Gates, if you're reading this, please consider gracing us with a second volume. There are undoubtedly countless other "devilish" words out there waiting to be brought back into the light. Perhaps you could delve into the forgotten lexicon of archaic English, or explore the quirky vocabulary of regional dialects. The possibilities are endless!

In the meantime, I will continue to savor this first volume, returning to it again and again like a favorite box of chocolates. "The Word I'm Thinking Of" is a true gift for any logophile, and I eagerly await the possibility of a sequel.

Fun words

What did you love best about The Word I'm Thinking Of?

Great fun learning new and strange words, seeing some of them in literature, and hearing stories about them. Good book for a grammar nerd and anyone who wants to learn new and weird sounding words.

An Oral Dictionary of some crazy words!

If you could sum up The Word I'm Thinking Of in three words, what would they be?

educational, weird, quotable

Who was your favorite character and why?

As this was a non fiction book, I don't think that there were actually any characters. Now the author related some antidotes during the book that were interesting.

What about Jack Chekijian’s performance did you like?

I enjoyed the simple way he presented the words. It seemed as tho he was reading the words and definitions in his own voice but then used his 'character' voices when reading quotes containing the words we just learned.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that I did enjoy. Since I received this book free in exchange for an honest review, I listened to it straight through. This is a book that I would listen to again but in stages. Maybe listen one letter at a time or in timed intervals. By doing that I would be able to absorb the meanings of the words better. I tend to listen to books while doing other things ie: driving. This is a book that requires more focused attention.

Mr. Chekijian gave a nice performance and I would love to hear more of his work.