A Winter Dictionary A Collection of Words for the Festive Season

As the nights draw in and the cold descends, the winter world emerges – and with it an incredible array of words that superbly capture the season. From frost-dogs (tiny frozen particles of falling snow) and Stepmother’ s breath (a sudden cold snap) to hibernaculum (a winter refuge during the winter months) and crapulent (feeling the aftereffects of overindulgence), Paul Anthony Jones delves into the origins of these rare, fascinating and forgotten words, opening up a whole new way of describing the winter months. Whether you’ re keeping cosy in front of the fire, warding off the winter blues or throwing yourself into the party season, A Winter Dictionary is the perfect way to while away the snow-laden days.

Paul Anthony Jones is the author of several books on trivia and language including The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities, The Accidental Dictionary, Word Drops, The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer, Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons and its sequel, Jedburgh Justice & Kentish Fire. He appears regularly in the Telegraph online, BBC Radio 4's World at One, Buzzfeed, the Huffington Post and Mental Floss, and has contributed to the Guardian, Independent and Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries online. He also runs @HaggardHawks, the hugely popular language-based Twitter account and YouTube channel. He lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.

CONTENTS Introduction ix Abbreviations and Symbols Used in this Book xiii 1. The Changing Seasons 1 2. Winter Storms 17 3. Ice and Snow 27 4. Keeping Cosy 51 5. Out in the Elements 63 6. The Winter Blues 83 7. The Party Season 97 8. Preparing for the Holidays 115 9. Christmas Day 131 10. The New Year 155 11. Snowmelt 163 Acknowledgements 179 Word Finder 181