Awkword Moments

A compendium of 100 words and phrases smart people use--even if they only kinda sorta (secretly dont) know what they mean--with pithy definitions and fascinating etymologies to solidify their meanings.

Your boss makes a joke about Schrodingers cat--which is something youve heard of but youre a little vague about what exactly happened (or didnt happen) with that cat. Or youre reading a New Yorker article that explains that "Solecism slipped into solipsism into full-blown narcissistic project." An excellent point . . . if youre sure what "solecism" means . . . or, for that matter, "solipsism."

Language gurus Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras to the rescue! In the breezy and entertaining yet informative style of their New York Times bestseller Youre Saying It Wrong, they give you a brief rundown on words smart people should know--from the worlds of science and the arts to philosophy, and from broader topics like quantum physics and ontology to more specific ones like Platos cave and trompe loeil. They cover the Latin phrases we hear and read (prima facie, sui generis, and the like) as well as those that have entered our vocabularies from other languages (bildungsroman, sturm und drang).

These are the words that, if you were asked directly, "What does this mean?" you might hem and haw and try to change the subject. After reading this book, you wont have to.