100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

Words from the Heart

An Emotional Dictionary
4.24 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 164 ratings, 21 reviews)
Brief Description
'MAGIC' JO BRAND'HAPPIFYING' STEPHEN FRY'SUSIE DENT IS A NATIONAL TREASURE' RICHARD OSMANWhether it's the distress of a bad haircut (AGE-OTORI) or longing for the food someone else is eating (GROAKING), the pleasure found in other people's happiness (CONFELICITY) or the shock of jumping into icy water... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$2999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

There is a word for how you feel, however you feel and Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, is going to help you find it.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'MAGIC' JO BRAND

'HAPPIFYING' STEPHEN FRY

'SUSIE DENT IS A NATIONAL TREASURE' RICHARD OSMAN

Whether it's the distress of a bad haircut (AGE-OTORI) or longing for the food someone else is eating (GROAKING), the pleasure found in other people's happiness (CONFELICITY) or the shock of jumping into icy water (CURGLAFF), there are real words to pinpoint exactly how you feel and Susie Dent, Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner and lexicographer extraordinaire, is going to help you find them.

Here are 1001 terms everyone needs, whether it's the best kind of hug (CWTCH), the relief found in swearing (LALOCHEZIA), or the ability to endure till the end (PERTOLERANCE).

It's time to rediscover the lost positives of language (and be more GORM); find out how a stork gave us the word for the love between parent and child, and who the first MAVERICK was. Packed with unexpected stories and unforgettable words, on a mission to describe the indescribable, this life-enhancing book will deepen your vocabulary as much as it extends it.

Welcome to the first truly human dictionary, as idiosyncratic and unusual as you are.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529379686

Publisher: John Murray Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 February 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 194.0mm

Weight: 330g

Pages: 400

About the Author

Susie Dent is the resident word expert in Dictionary Corner on C4's Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and has been on every programme about words: 15 x 15, Word of Mouth, and More or Less. Susie also writes regularly for the Radio Times, The Week Junior and The I, and her Word of the Day has attracted over 1,000,000 followers on Twitter.

Also by Susie Dent

View all
  • Interesting Stories about Curious Words
    Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, on a curious and exceedingly interesting adventure through all the very best RED HERRINGS, COCK AND BULL STORIES and NINE-DAY WONDERS in the English language. Who was SWEET FANNY ADAMS? What's the dramatic true story behind STEALING THUNDER? Why is it CHANCING YOUR ARM when you take a risk?...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Guilty by Definition
    THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! 'ONE OF THE FINEST MYSTERIES I HAVE EVER READ' Rob Rinder, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Trial 'A TANTALISING MYSTERY FOR WORD SLEUTHS AND CRIME FANS ALIKE' Janice Hallett, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal A coded letter. A missing woman. A truth waiting to be found. When an anonymous letter is delivered...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Words for Life
    Whatever you need, Susie Dent has a word for it. Do you know the name for someone who loves reading in bed, or what a binfluencer does? How about the medieval invention of Lubberland as a place for lazy teenagers, or the story of Mayday as a request for help? Lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent...
    Paperback
    $3399
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Roots We Share
    A follow-up title to the bestselling Roots of Happiness, this is a beautifully illustrated book from author, broadcaster and word expert, Susie Dent, highlighting 100 words and phrases from the English language and beyond that bring people together. Susie Dent, bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, is on a mission to find 100 words and phrases to bring people together....
    Hardback
    $4500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Word Perfect
    'Susie Dent is a one-off. She breathes life and fun into words and language' β€” Pam Ayres 'Susie Dent is a national treasure' β€” Richard Osman Welcome to a year of wonder with Susie Dent, lexicographer, logophile, and longtime queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner. From the real Jack the Lad to the theatrically literal story behind stealing someone's thunder, from...
    Paperback
    $2499
    Elsewhere:
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (20th edition)
    This is, in fact, not what you were looking for; but it's much more interesting. β€” Terry Pratchett Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Nowhere else could the histories of the guillotine and Guinness stout...
    Hardback
    $12000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Pre-order
    Death Writ Large
    A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW A mysterious letter. A silenced scholar. A city paved with injustice. When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this...
    Hardback
    $2000
    Pre-order
    Out 3 Nov 2026
  • Death Writ Large
    Pre-order
    Death Writ Large
    A brand-new linguistic mystery from Countdown's resident lexicographer, Susie Dent, set in the city of Oxford AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from a runic alphabet created by a deceased fantasy writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    Pre-order
    Out 18 Aug 2026
  • Words for Life
    Pre-order
    Words for Life
    Whatever you need, Susie Dent has a word for it. Do you know the name for someone who loves reading in bed, or what a binfluencer does? How about the medieval invention of Lubberland as a place for lazy teenagers, or the story of Mayday as a request for help? Lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Pre-order
    Out 6 Oct 2026
  • Dent's Modern Tribes
    Did you know that a soldier's biggest social blunder is called jack brewβ€”making yourself a cuppa without making one for anyone else? That twitchers have an expression for a bird that can't be identifiedβ€”LBJ (the letters stand for Little Brown Job)? Or that builders call plastering the ceiling doing Lionel Richie's dancefloor? Susie Dent does. Ever wondered why football managers...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Roots of Happiness
    A beautifully illustrated book from bestselling author, broadcaster and word expert, Susie Dent, highlighting 100 joyful and often unknown words and phrases from our language (and other languages from around the world). Roots of Happiness by Susie Dent explores the light hiding in the deepest, darkest corners of our language. It takes just a short browse through the dictionary to...
    Hardback
    Sold Out
  • Guilty by Definition
    The debut murder mystery from the resident genius of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent. An anonymous letter arrives at the offices of the Clarendon English Dictionary containing a challenge for the team of lexicographers working there. It's clear that it's not the usual run-of-the-mill, eccentric enquiry. The letter hints at secrets, lies, and a year: 2010. For Martha Thornhill, the...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Humour

View all
  • Me vs Brain
    The hilarious book from TikTok and Insta sensation, Hayley Morris Brain - No one's going to buy your book Me - But it's good! My editor says so! Brain - Well she would, wouldn't she... Btw, didn't you leave your hair straighteners on? Me - I can't get into this now, I've got a book description to write Hello! Hayley...
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • What A Way To Go
    The Million Copy #1 Bestselling Author of How to Kill Your Family is back with the new book of the moment. Featured in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Times Style, You Magazine… 'Super-sharp, lethally witty' - NIGELLA LAWSON 'Delicious' - JOJO MOYES 'Very funny… I inhaled it' - JOE LYCETT β€˜Taut, pacy, seamless… a huge pleasure to read’ - MARIAN KEYES β€˜I...
    Paperback
    $3699
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Murdoku
    Place the suspects, reveal the killer! An innovative puzzle book that incorporates murder mysteries with sudoku-like logic. An addictive mix of cosy crime and colourful grid logic puzzles. These visually appealing, addictive puzzles drop solvers into immersive mini murder mysteries, combining the elegant simplicity of games like sudoku with the storytelling of classic logic problems. But Murdoku introduces its own...
    Paperback
    $3899
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Minute Cryptic
    Welcome to your brand-new wordplay obsession. From the creators of the hugely popular online puzzle platform, Minute Cryptic, comes this step-by-step guide to solving cryptic crosswords. With over 160 different clues for you to solve, each chapter takes you through a different wordplay concept essential for unlocking cryptic crossword clues. As you complete the book, you'll build your skills and...
    Paperback
    $2799
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Detective Beans and the Map of Mystery
    Enjoy this new DETECTIVE BEANS adventure in the bestselling and award-winning graphic novel series by Li Chen! Your favourite kitten detective is back with a new mystery to solve . . . and treasure to find! When Captain Scuttlebeard gives Beans a treasure map, Beans is determined to find the prize at the end. The clues take him all over...
    By Li Chen
    Paperback
    $1900
    Elsewhere:
    $2200
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Gate of the Feral Gods
    The fourth book in the explosive LitRPG Dungeon Crawler Carl series New Achievement! Total, Utter Failure.You failed a quest less than five minutes after you received it. Now that's talent. Surviving in a multilevel dungeon that also happens to be the set of the galaxy's most watched game show has taught Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess...
    Hardback
    $6000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Wedding People
    'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people β€” but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall...
    Paperback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Women's Prize Winner
    The Correspondent
    84 Charing Cross Road meets A Man Called Ove in this heartwarming, witty story about the life of an extraordinary woman, told through her letters. In her letters to family and friends, we come to know the life of Sybil Van Antwerpβ€”stubborn, cantankerous, opinionated, always steadfast in her belief in the power of the written word. But as the clock...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3700
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Game On
    Book three in the No.1 New York Times bestselling Into Darkness series,following the dark rom-com sensations Lights Out and Caught Up. The game ison for these enemies-to-lovers with laugh-out-loud banter and scorching-hotbrat play. I hate that woman. Tyler Neumann has spent years looking for his father, and not because he wants to meetthe man. No, he wants to destroy him....
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Eye of the Bedlam Bride
    The sixth book in the explosive LitRPG Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Chaos reigns on the eighth floor. Coast Guard vet Carl and Princess Donut have survived longerβ€”and climbed higherβ€”than anyone expected in the galaxy's favourite reality show, but now the game is wide open. The task: capture six monsters and turn them into battle cards. The stronger the creature, the...
    Hardback
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Pumpkin Spice CafΓ© (Deluxe Edition)
    The first book of the viral Dream Harbor series by #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Laurie Gilmore! 🍁 TikTok Made Me Buy It – Winner of the TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024, Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller. As seen on Good Morning America! 🍁🍁🍁🍁 When Jeanie’s aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.