Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Pan Books (1983), Paperback, 191 pages
Description
In Life* there are many hundreds of common experiences, feelings, situations and even objects which we all know and recognize, but for which no words exist.On the other hand, the world is littered with thousands of spare words which spend their time doing nothing but loafing about on signposts pointing at places."Douglas Adams and John Lloyd saw it as their job to get these words down off the signposts and into the mouths of babes and sucklings and so on, where they could start earning their keep in everyday conversation and make a more positive contribution to society. The Meaning of Liff was the bestselling humour book that resulted. It sold hundreds of thousands of copies and remains to this day, nearly thirty years later, a much-loved classic of its kind.*And, indeed, Liff… (more)
Media reviews
Lists place-names alphabetically, attributing to each a definition which is humorous and somehow appropriate— for example:
Kalami (n.) The ancient Eastern art of being able to
fold road-maps properly
Oshkosh (n., vb.) The noise made by someone who has just been grossly flattered and is trying to
The final 34 pages are a (single-column) 'Index of
meanings', taking topics from the contents of the definitions and referring, not to the page on which they occur, but to the place-name itself—thus:
gusto, terrific, tuneless: Royston
hat behind, leaving one's: Hidcote Bartram
lawnmowers, frustrated: Trispen
madmen, departed, in toasters: Throckmorton
Topics are enhanced in the index: 'Ice, octogenarians
under the: Wivenhoe' refers to the definition, 'The cry of alacrity with which a sprightly eighty-year-old breaks the ice on the lake when going for a swim on Christmas Eve'; and 'Number, wrong, so she claims: Kurdistan' to, 'hard stare given by a husband to his wife when he notices a sharp increase in the number of times he answers the phone to be told, "Sorry, wrong number'". There are cross-references in the text; a Wembley is 'the hideous moment of confirmation that the disaster presaged in the
ely (q.v.) has actually struck'. Subheadings are used
indeed; 26 under 'objects' ('heavy, with toes on: Clun') and 31 under 'noises' ('gushing and cooing: Oshkosh').
Reference direct to place-names lends a new fascination to the index. Rarely can simple page references be perplexing in conjunction with the index entry; but why should 'fish, tropical, stupid' lead to Stoke Pogesi Why, 'pyjamas, muslim' to Albuquerque1. We glimpse a new criterion for assessment of indexes; they should make the reader eager to turn to the text cited. Can readers send us other examples of indexes that achieve this?
Kalami (n.) The ancient Eastern art of being able to
fold road-maps properly
Oshkosh (n., vb.) The noise made by someone who has just been grossly flattered and is trying to
Show More
make light of it.The final 34 pages are a (single-column) 'Index of
meanings', taking topics from the contents of the definitions and referring, not to the page on which they occur, but to the place-name itself—thus:
gusto, terrific, tuneless: Royston
hat behind, leaving one's: Hidcote Bartram
lawnmowers, frustrated: Trispen
madmen, departed, in toasters: Throckmorton
Topics are enhanced in the index: 'Ice, octogenarians
under the: Wivenhoe' refers to the definition, 'The cry of alacrity with which a sprightly eighty-year-old breaks the ice on the lake when going for a swim on Christmas Eve'; and 'Number, wrong, so she claims: Kurdistan' to, 'hard stare given by a husband to his wife when he notices a sharp increase in the number of times he answers the phone to be told, "Sorry, wrong number'". There are cross-references in the text; a Wembley is 'the hideous moment of confirmation that the disaster presaged in the
ely (q.v.) has actually struck'. Subheadings are used
indeed; 26 under 'objects' ('heavy, with toes on: Clun') and 31 under 'noises' ('gushing and cooing: Oshkosh').
Reference direct to place-names lends a new fascination to the index. Rarely can simple page references be perplexing in conjunction with the index entry; but why should 'fish, tropical, stupid' lead to Stoke Pogesi Why, 'pyjamas, muslim' to Albuquerque1. We glimpse a new criterion for assessment of indexes; they should make the reader eager to turn to the text cited. Can readers send us other examples of indexes that achieve this?
Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Moriquen
What a funny and enjoyable little book! I'm really glad I read it!
LibraryThing member Xleptodactylous
Only on page 11 and find that I can safely and assuredly rate 'The Meaning of Liff' 5 out of 5. Pure humour, pure quintessential Britishness and pure, unadulterated Douglas Adams.
LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
Douglas Adams remains dearly missed after his far-too-soon death way back at the start of this millennium. "The meaning of Liff" is one of Adams's lesser known works but is a page-turning laugh inducer.
The authors turned up a list of British town and village names and gave the words new
The authors turned up a list of British town and village names and gave the words new
Show More
definitions; for some reason Sidcup's definition has stayed with me and who can forget East and West Wittering's entries? As you thumb your way through the book, others will pop out and amuse you no end. It's just a shame that Adams didn't get a chance to cover Australian names; what he could do with places like Indooroopilly, Woy Woy, Woollongabba, Yarralumla et al, I can't even imagine. Show Less
LibraryThing member SashaM
Quaint English town names given meaning by Douglas Adam. Not really what I was expecting but still entertaining. Not a book to reread though
LibraryThing member brendanus
A book of neologisms pretending to stand for various human experiences, feelings, and activities for which there are no "real" words - in Adam unique style of brashness. Self-described 'radical atheist' Douglas Adams spent an inordinate amount of literary effort trying to find God. His satire is of
Show More
the insightful but smugly aloof British variety; the scope of his vision is unusually broad. Show Less
LibraryThing member CraigGoodwin
A genius idea, which I imagine was enormous fun to create. Clearly, a dictionary is not the easiest read, but wonderful, and in parts hilarious, to dip into over a few weeks.
Original publication date
1983-11-11
Physical description
191 p.; 5.98 inches
ISBN
0330281216 / 9780330281218
Local notes
In life and, indeed, in liff, there are many hundreds of common experiences, feelings, situations and even objects which we all know and recognize, but for which no words exist. This text uses place names to describe some of these meanings.