Dictionary Of Fine Distinctions - Eli Bernstein - Top Book Pick!

Language

Rating: 9/10

Introduction, Foreword or Preface, which is it?

This delightful volume shows us that everywhere we look, we’re confronted by sneaky differences. Do moral dilemmas differ from ethical ones? If we make an assumption, do we presume as well? The author puts language under a microscope, teasing irony apart from sarcasm, elaborating on guilt versus shame and sussing out the difference between conflation and confusion.

Each entry offers a sort of test of wits for the reader, serving up two or more commonly confused words and a brief blurb about what differentiates them. And we get drawings too!

A treasure trove of a book that yields unexpected tidbits and talking points. And no matter how well read you believe yourself to be, you might be asking yourself, have I been using the wrong word all this time!

Happy hairsplitting!

Footnote: some of my favourite entries…

Envy vs Jealousy

Ethics vs Morality

Dinner vs Supper

Combination vs Permutation

Ponzi Scheme vs Pyramid Scheme

Verbal Irony vs Dramatic Irony

Parody vs Satire

Book Pairing(s): Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig, Indispensable Dictionary Of Unusual Words by Josefa Byrne, Words From Hell by Jess Zafarris