Imagine a world where A was not for apple and B was not for ball. An eccentric, topsy-turvey, wordy sort of a world in which, anonymuncle replaced apple in our ABCs and blutterbung replaced ball. Imagine what would happen if we rescued our endangered, underused words. How much more rewarding would it be to call a big-head a cockalorum, or rainwater dog's soup? What would Mum or the dinner lady say to a child who called her food zamzodden?
The Brabbler's ABC introduces children to some of the lost friends of the English language - forgotten and fading words that are hoping to be adopted by them. Great sounding, word mouthfuls, such as gubbertushed and yaffle, quaggy and snirtle.
It is up to readers to decide whether to befriend any of these elderly and enfeebled words, but The Brabbler can't help thinking that as we already know that A is for apple and B is for ball, children (and adults) might have a moment to imagine a world in which yaffle and wheeple could finally make themselves heard.
Fast-moving, humourous and lavishly illustrated, this book is part of a series prepared to help bring underused words back into usage in homes, in classrooms and in playgrounds. As a spin-off from the wacky world of Carnaby Street and her Great Uninvited, the Brabbler's Guides encourage children from as young as seven to experiment with the sounds of great words and to express themselves in a manner far removed from the confines of text and tweet.