The disheveled dictionary : a curious caper through our sumptuous lexicon

Summary: "What on earth does lagniappe mean? A sluggard who lies around till noon? A she-wolf of anapurna? A car that demands heavy pampering?" In fact, none of the above. But one can find this creole french word delectably defined in the disheveled dictionary, which does for vocabulary what gordon's cult classic the well-tempered sentence did for punctuation and the transitive vampire did for grammar. The disheveled dictionary takes a voluptuary's approach to language, offering a lavish feast of words and their multiple uses. Favorite characters from Gordon's earlier books appear in cameo, including Yolanta, Jonquil Mapp, Cowboys with lingerie, and assorted royal riffraff. With her trademark cache of illustrations and flamboyantly gothic examples, Gordon takes readers on a hedonist's tour of the world of words, where they can check into the last judgment pinball machine motel, slip into susurrant silk pajamas at cafe frangipane, or plunge into scenes from such literary works as Torpor in the Swing, the Wretch of Lugubria, and Gossamer and the Green Light. Laced with erudite insights and eccentric wit, the disheveled dictionary is about the music of speech and the sound and sensuality of language, celebrating not only the obsure but also our most beloved and basic words.