Wordbirds An Irreverent Lexicon for the 21st Century

This charming and whimsically illustrated book of newly minted words—on politics and the media, love and friendship, work, play, family, fashion, and city life—is “a lexicon of witty neologisms for the modern age” (Vanity Fair).

You are a typical citizen of the young millennium, caught up in the fast-paced megatasking socio-professional whirl of our ever-evolving digitally enhanced lives.

If you’ve ever wondered what to call it when you answer the TV remote instead of the phone, or wished you had a phrase to capture your supervisor’s stealth campaign to stall your career, here is your guide. Now you can say “Oops, droidian slip!” with ease, and call out your boss for the impedimentor that he is. Armed with Wordbirds, you will be able to skillfully talk your way into—or out of—any situation the twenty-first century throws at you.

With 150 gorgeous, highly expressive bird illustrations, these neologisms will have you crowing with delight, and show you that fine feathers make fine words. (Not to mention give new meaning to the term “tweeting.”)

A perfect gift book, Wordbirds is “literary catnip for bird lovers who also find themselves fascinated—or annoyed—by the quirks of modern life” (The New York Times Book Review).

Liesl Schillinger has written for many publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The New Republic. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review and translates fiction from French and German. 

Elizabeth Zechel is the illustrator and author of the children’s book Is There a Mouse in the Baby’s Room? She has created illustrations for children’s books and cookbooks, as well as for a variety of magazine and literary journals. She lives in Brooklyn.