Thousands of words and expressions burst into the American vocabulary between 1900 and 1999, only to fizzle out a few years later as trendier trends and more current events demanded new language. Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers gives yesterday's words another chance to sparkle before they retire to the archives for good.
"For any lexiphile curious to know what Depression-era hobos called the local jail or how the term
go ballistic emerged in the 1980s, this guide will be a pleasure."
–
Publishers Weekly, Dec. 1, 2003.
"A fascinating peek into some long-forgotten corners of American culture."
–
Sunday Columbus-Dispatch, Dec. 28, 2003
"Seldom has linguistic history been this much fun."
–Dan Hays,
Salem Statesman-Journal, Dec. 21, 2003
"A real gem of word books."
–Dave Wilton,
A Way with Words, Oct. 1, 2004