“Word Spy is a triumph — a joyful romp through language and lingo of our times. Today’s readers will love it. Tomorrow’s readers will need it. So here’s a message to the archaeologists of the future: Please dust off this book and read every page. It is your starting point for deciphering what life was like in the 21st century.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of Free Agent Nation

“Tired of finding dead words embalmed in dusty dictionaries? Word Spy is one of those rare books that captures words live in the wild, complete with up-to-the minute citations and examples of usage. Metrosexual, toxic bachelor, bozo explosion, weapons of mass distraction — they are all here, complete with origin, usage, and great quotations. Like Eric Raymond’s New Hacker’s Dictionary, Word Spy is living proof that to invent a language is to invent a way of life.”
—Richard Dooling, author of White Man's Grave

“Paul McFedries’s obvious passion for tracking down cutting-edge expressions had led to a fascinating linguistic commentary for those of us who ought to know a ‘leather spinster’ from a ‘weddingmoon.’ He opens the reader’s eyes and ears to a new language that continues to emerge.”
—Jeffrey Kacirk, author of Forgotten English and The Word Museum

“Essential reading for the lexicurious — Word Spy explains not just the newest words but the newest ideas.”
—Erin McKean, lexicographer and author of Weird and Wonderful Words

“Word Spy will appeal to both word lovers and those interested in modern cultural trends and evolutions. McFedries, the creator of the enormously popular Logophilia Limited web site and author of many titles in the "Complete Idiot's Guide" series, has collected many neologisms and arranged them according to cultural trends such as fast food, political correctness, the dot-com phenomenon, and evolutions in areas like marriage and relationships, the workplace, and technology. The book's short and snappy chapters make it perfect for dipping into, and McFedries's research into the various uses of terms like hactivism, bozon, and bling-bling makes it informative as well as entertaining. Despite the emphasis on North American usage, the volume is impressively wide-ranging, featuring neologisms drawn from English newspapers and magazines around the world as well as from fiction, nonfiction, and popular music.”
—Rebecca Bollen, Library Journal Reviews