"Philip Howard's legendary 'Lost Words' column has been appearing weekly in The Times newspaper for many years, regularly and wittily illuminating for readers on the meanings of some of the obscurer, more esoteric words the English language has to offer. This unique collection finally brings together the very best of Howard's columns. Only here can we learn the significance of words such as 'maritality'; 'charientism'; 'sardonian'; 'janiform' and 'faticidal' - words which enrich the English language and which would otherwise have been lost to it forever."--Publisher description.