What a fun book! Over 400 vocabulary words related to winter, organized by topic (such as changing seasons, winter storms, winter blues, holidays, snowmelt). Words come from old English to modern (but not popular) uses. I honestly didn't find many words I'd ever heard before, and it's so interesting to be able to add some new words to describe my winter experiences. Each word is defined and explained with historical references, etc.

Some of my favorites:

Abscission (the very first word in the book!): the process by which a leaf detaches from its tree in autumn
Darkle- to become gradually darker
Hogamadog- a ball of snow made larger by rolling
Scringing- the crackling sound that ice or frozen ground makes when someone walks across it.
Breard- the first growth of a plant visible above the earth

Overall a great book for anyone who loves language, fun facts, and winter!

A delightful look at some words associated with winter. Most of them are dialect words or words that have fallen out of use, so there are plenty of new words to learn.

The words have been divided into separate categories, so there are ones on the changing season, Ice and Snow, Keeping Cosy, Party Season, and many others.

Some of my favourites were
Boo helly - 5th day before Christmas.
Darkle - the nights drawing in.
Peiskos - a feeling of business that comes from sitting by the fire
Foxing Day - a day that turns out finer than expected.
Subnivium - the ecosystem found beneath the snow..

There are many more to enjoy here.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

The Winter Dictionary by Paul Anthony Jones

Paul Anthony Jones's The Winter Dictionary is a treasure trove for language-lovers and anyone who finds magic in the changing seasons. As the days grow shorter and the chill of winter sets in, this delightful collection opens up a world of rare, forgotten, and whimsical words that perfectly capture the beauty and charm of the colder months.

Each entry offers more than just a definition: there’s often an enchanting story or snippet of history attached, giving insight into the origins of these hidden gems of the English language. Jones’s ability to pair words with cultural or historical context breathes life into each entry, making this much more than just a glossary—it’s a celebration of language’s ability to capture the essence of a season.

Perfect for those who appreciate the subtlety of words and want to expand their vocabulary, The Winter Dictionary is the ideal companion for a crisp autumn day or a snowy night in. Whether you’re a word enthusiast or simply looking for a cozy read, this book is sure to warm your heart as it deepens your appreciation for the season's unique beauty.

This would make and amazing gift and/or coffee table book in winter.

As the weather turns colder, this is a lovely reference-type book with words that evoke images and feelings of the colder months. I think a physical book would be a better option than a digital version as it's a lovely book to leave out on the coffee table for perusing at leisure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in excahnge for an honest review.

The Winter Dictionary was an enjoyable read that got me in the mood for winter/Christmas (even though summer has only just finished).

In terms of what you can expect.. it’s a dictionary but with a bit more going on to make it more entertaining. Each entry starts with a word in bold, followed by its part of speech and a concise definition. Beneath the definition, there’s often an interesting backstory or further explanation, including the word's origins or etymology, which adds historical or cultural context. And sometimes there’s a quote mixed in to fit the theme of the word. For me personally, I love to see an unexpected Joan Didion quote so this format worked for me!

Also this part surprised me, even as an English person who recognises we all talk about the weather too much: Research has shown that nine out of ten British people will have spoken to someone about the weather within the last six hours (while around a third will have talked about it in the last sixty minutes).

This is a dictionary of words associated with Winter, organized by topic such as Keeping Cozy or Winter Storms. It's a cute coffee table book for Winter.

What a wonderfully festive book of "wintertime" vocabulary! Some are literary or regional, others are scientific or obscure. Instead of a long, cumbersome list, the dictionary is dictated by theme for better accessibility. I loved that each chapter opens with a short, charming introduction to set the scene for the reader.

The words themselves are organized alphabetically, with origin and grammatical usage, as one would expect from a dictionary, but some are accompanied by a literary excerpt when necessary. Jones also offers a bit of history and context in their own words, and this is especially helpful for the more obscure or scientific terms. These definitions are not short quips either but delightful paragraphs that draw the reader in. For potential writers and future poets, texts like this are so useful! This is the first of its kind that I can confidently describe as "cozy" and I definitely want a copy for my library! Jones has certainly done the leg work to offer a stand-out source of such chilling variety.

Thank you Elliott & Thompson for approving my request on NetGalley!

Below are some of my favorites!
"Doggindales": Patches of mist that cling to sheltered hillsides
"Wittewijven": individual wisps of mist, esp. in graveyards
"Stepmother's Breath": A sudden cold snap
"Rozzle": To bask or warm oneself in the heat of a fire
"Alysm": The restless boredom that comes from being unwell or confined in bed
"Adam and Eve": A party from which guests are ejected at a set time
"Lucky-Bird: The first person to cross the threshold of your home on Christmas morning
"Apricity": The warmth of the sun on a winter's day

Perfect book to entertain you on a cold winter day. you can dip in and out learning about words connected with winter.Really enjoyed going through this winters dictionary #netgalley#elliotsbooks

"A Winter Dictionary" is exactly what it says —a dictionary— but not at all what I expected. Paul Anthony Jones has collected words that describe winter in many ways that we’ve forgotten about. We think sleety or cold or raw — he shows us clart, a word from 1828, meaning “a single snowflake, large enough to stick to your clothes”. And stringing, “the crackling sound that ice of frozen ground makes when someone walks across it” from 1896. Hundreds of additional words can change how we view winter, from being something to survive to a period of wonder and magic. It’s lovely — and would be a great gift for anyone who loves winter or the English language.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a beautiful collection of words long forgotten that relate to winter. Each word gets a brief definition and placing in time and geographical area, then goes more fully into the meaning of the word and how it was used. There are some beautiful old words that it would be lovely to see back in use (‘filipendulous’ means hanging by a thread; ‘huckmuck’ for frustration at things being out of place; ‘darkle’ meaning to become gradually darker, so the nights drawing in). Each word is really brought out by the author to give it life and provide a glimpse of the life and times of those who used them. Since the words are about winter, there’s a really cosy feel to it too – this would be a beautiful Christmas present for anyone with an interest in words.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

A Winter Dictionary: A Collection of Words for the Festive Season by Paul Anthony Jones is a delightful book to dip into and would make a perfect gift for anyone who loves words and language.

"A Winter Dictionary" offers a fascinating dive into the overlooked vocabulary of the coldest season. This unique book explores a variety of underused words, from those embodying winter events to technical terms describing autumn's changing leaves. The author's careful curation transforms our perception of winter, revealing the subtle beauty in a season often seen as dreary and dull. Through its rich lexicon, the book paints a vivid picture of winter's linguistic landscape, inviting readers to rediscover the nuances of this misunderstood time of year. It's a must-read for language enthusiasts and anyone seeking to deepen their appreciation of winter's distinctive charms.

I was asked to review this interesting book for NetGalley.

This would make a really interesting book for Christmas 2024.

This is a really fascinating book that I will keep on the coffee table this Festive period as I learn new words and phrases relating to winter.

I love english, history and this I was really transported in the bleak midwinter.

Truly inspiring loved it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

I'm interested in trivia and linguistics, and as a lover of the winter and Christmas period, A Winter Dictionary seemed like a perfect book to pick up. The structure of the book was generally different from what I expected, but it wasn't necessarily in a bad way and the main content of the book - namely the festive words - fully lived up to my expectations.

For the structure, the book groups the words together thematically. We start at the end of autumn where the cold starts to creep into the cosy season and from there move on through the different stages of the end of the year all the way through to the budding of spring. Some of the words provided aren't strictly speaking winter or Christmas related or even festive, but in the context given, they're definitely all suitable words.

Most of the words are of English origin including various dialects, but there are also a handful of words from other languages. Personally, I would have loved even more words from other languages but it's also perfectly fair enough that this book's focus was on English. The book does also go into quite a bit of detail behind the word origins and often gives examples of how the word or phrase can be used.

There were a few lines and paragraphs where the spacing between words was missing - it was hard to tell whether these were editing mistakes or just something that went wrong with the ebook format. If the former, it would be great to get this fixed. On an entirely personal preference note, I think this would be such a lovely book to have illustrations or decorated pages. I have similar books on other subjects and they often come with illustrations that suit the mood of the words provided. This book is perfectly fine and informative the way it is - had there been illustrations, it would have given it a nice aesthetic bonus to lift it up further.

Here are a few examples of some of my favourite words and phrases found within this book:

Stepmother's Breath - a sudden cold snap
Chimonophile - a lover of wintry weather
Snape - to nip or bite with cold
Dutch Feast - a party at which the host gets drunk before their guests
Greenout - the feeling of gladness or relief that a person who has endured the winter experiences on seeing something fresh and green for the first time

What a fun way to while away a long winter’s evening, learning about the origins of the words we use to describe winter, and even more fun, many archaic terms or phrases that have fallen out of use.

I received a free copy of, A Winter Dictionary, by Paul Anthony Jones, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is a dictionary of winter words, most I have never heard of before like: foxing day, feefle, shawm, and barflog. This is an interesting read, I learned a lot of new words.

Wow!! Because this book's title says "dictionary", I intended to read it as such. A reference book to hop around, cherry pick, and leaf through seeing what catches the eye.

But that changed immediately! This book is so absolutely fascinating that I read it as a regular book, from start to finish.

Includes:
- stories behind the word
- time frames... when "ish" the word "began"
- similar phrases it was derived from
- countries where the word began

This is one of the most unique, well-done, fascinating things I've ever read. I never buy hard books anymore, but I sincerely am not just saying this, I intend to buy a physical copy of this book to keep. And it would be an amazing gift as well!


FAVES:
- Stepmother's breath: a sudden cold snap [1765]
- Blue o'clock: the early hours of the morning, color of the sky awakening [1909]
- gluggavedur: weather that looks nice from indoors, but you would not want to be outside in. Originated in Iceland from "window weather"

A Winter Dictionary is a delight from start to finish.

In a world where spoken language is evolving but doesn’t often show a richness and variety then this book will certainly add a new dimension to your winters communications.

Whether you are a lexiphile or a logophile or have a general love of language then you will certainly enjoy this seasonal dictionary ..maybe you are a chimonophile (someone who enjoys wintery weather): or enjoy the cotlight ( the warm light seen inside a house on a winter’s night ) and enjoy the warmth and coziness of a fireside - peiskos.

Exploring the vocabulary of different periods of time and history and from different counties and cultures, Paul Anthony Jones has compiled an excellent dictionary - a book to dip into or just enjoy step by step and perfectly divided into seasonal sections of relevance.

A brilliant gift or a book to just savour on your own and then share your discoveries

As winter approaches I hope we don’t get a sudden stepmother’s breath that is highly twanking or I will have to slappety pouch myself 😊

This is a lovely and fascinating well-researched dictionary of winter words. If you're a linguist you'll find it delightful and if you're a writer you'll be marking certain words for the future and you'll be imagining how you could possibly use them. The only thing I want now is follow ups for the other three seasons!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I can easily envision this sitting on my own reference shelf.

Talk about the opening lines drawing the reader in; this book certainly did this for me. I immediately felt like I was waking up on a cold winter’s day taking my dog out for a walk. This is very well done indeed Mr Jones. Upon reading the introduction it became abundantly clear that like popular slang used amongst teenagers I am not familiar with the vernacular of winter. Naturally my curiosity was piqued instantly.

As an avid reader and graduate of language studies, I knew right away that this book is right up my alley. Little did I know though how wonderfully it was composed. This dictionary manages to create a narrative hidden within the well-structured and organised pages. There is a lot of whimsy fused into the pages of this collection of words; a whimsy that transports the language enthusiast straight into the darker and more magical time of the year.

However, the words also include scientific, religious and rather contemporary words based on profound human needs such as the inability to go to sleep. In fact, reading this dictionary might just explain some of the typical emotions and sensations felt during the winter months and in turn makes the reader feel less alone and isolated. So, in a way, this dictionary can even be seen as a self-help book ;).

One of my favourite elements is the inclusion of poetry/literature to put the word into context. I love all words that could be found in a poem or a medieval verse. Some of my favourites are: akering-time, darkle, sniveler, frost hag, clinkerbell (NOT clinkerballs), feefle, flother, punder, stepmother’s breath, snerdle, mufflements (how cute is this word?), maggle… gosh I could just keep listing my new discoveries here as these words transport me into the English countryside or a fairytale at an instant.