AustLit

'Only dead languages don't change; living ones change all the time.

'From aitch to amazeballs, from mondegreens to man boobs, there is no topic too controversial or complex for Australia's most influential editor, Susan Butler. Sue, long-time editor of the Macquarie Dictionary, takes you on an insightful, often hilarious exploration of the words you think you know and a few you've never heard. She looks at why we keep changing our pronunciation of Beijing, when to use a hyphen, why we really should just take a stand and ban the apostrophe, and why saying 'Haitch' once meant social death in certain circles.

'This beautifully designed, quirky gift book is sure to delight word lovers and language aficionados from Melbourne to Mooloolaba. ' (Publication summary)