The Comprehensive Etymology of Eating “Now I can impress my food-snob friends with more than my ratatouille and learn some great food-related scrabble words as well.” — Nina Lesowitz , author of  The Party Girl Cookbook Looking for a unique foodie gift? Eat Your Words is a true treat for anyone who loves language as much as food. And, it’s a great Scrabble helper. Eat Your Words is a gloriously gluttonous glossary of all things grub and gastronomy.   Eat Your Words author Paul Convery is a "word doctor" with 20 years’ experience as a proofreader, a copyeditor, and magazine production manager. A lifelong logophile, he is also the author of other fun reference books you didn’t know you wanted ( Drinktionary: The Definitive Dictionary for the Discerning Drinker and Inkhorn's Erotonomicon: An Advanced Sexual Vocabulary for Verbivores and Vulgarians .) A delight for word nerds and a great foodie gift.  With witty and fun definitions of everything from aeroponics to zoosaprophagy, this dictionary of foodie trivia has definitions for 6,000 unusual and unfamiliar terms. For Scrabble stars and anyone who excels at Words with Friends,  Eat Your Words  is a clever guide to little-known culinary terms that will give you that special edge. In  Eat Your Words: The Definitive Dictionary for Discerning Diners , you’ll find terms about: A cornucopia of culinary treats from around the world - The cultivation, selling, and serving of every food you can imagine - The appetites of diners and their dinners across all species Fans of  The Flavor Equation ,  Tequila Mockingbird , or On Food and Cooking  will enjoy this fascinating journey into the language of food and eating. “This is an outstanding contribution to the field of food language and lore and an accessible reference book for professional and amateur foodies alike.” —Susannah Seton, author of  Simple Pleasures of the Kitchen “Now I can impress my food-snob friends with more than my ratatouille and learn some great food-related scrabble words as well.” —Nina Lesowitz, author of  The Party Girl Cookbook Paul Convery is a "word doctor" with 20 years’ experience as a proofreader, copy-editor and magazine production manager. A lifelong logophile, he is the author of Drinktionary: The Definitive Dictionary for the Discerning Drinker (Book Guild, 2017), and has independently published Inkhorn's Erotonomicon: An Advanced Sexual Vocabulary for Verbivores and Vulgarians (Matador, 2012). His earlier academic grounding includes postgraduate language studies (University of Strathclyde) and doctoral research in modern European history (University of Glasgow). Tasting Notes: Flavour, Freshness (and so forth) acerbitude * sourness or sharpness of taste, as with unripe fruit acescency * tartness or asperity of taste acetarious * denoting vegetables or plants used raw in salad, such as lettuce or cress acetosity * the quality of being sour-tasting or vinegarish acidulousness * a degree of sharpness or bitterness in flavour ackerspritted * said of gathered potatoes that have sprouted prematurely acridity * an uncomfortably corrosive bitterness of taste acrimonious * extremely pungent to taste acritude * an astringency in food that is irritating to the organs of taste addleness * the degree of putrefaction or rottenness of eggs agerdows * an early anglicization of agrodolce or aigredoux–‘bittersweet’ al dente * of pasta, cooked firmer to the bite, not soggy or soft alimonious * nourishing, full of goodness alliaceous * tasting of garlic, leeks or onions; garlicky amarulence * bitterness of taste ambrosiate * exceptionally sweet and pleasing to savour ampery * a regional descriptor for cheese that is starting to reek and decay amygdalaceous * having the flavour of almonds amylaceous * starchy; applies to non-nitrogenous foods apiaceous * savouring of parsley or similar herbs appetizing * mouth-wateringly tasty areastiness * rankness or rancidity in food argute * sharp of taste