Beyond words : how language reveals the way we live now

From the huge response to "Lost for Words", it's clear that many of us share John's strong feelings about the use and misuse of the English language.

Not because we want to split hairs (or infinitives) but because how we use words reveals so much about the way we see the world.

Here John takes a sharp look at phrases and expressions in current use to expose the often hidden attitudes that lie behind them -- from the schoolroom to the boardroom, from Westminster to the weather forecast.

Questioning our assumptions, puncturing our illusions and illuminating the way we live now, "Brave New Words" is a small book that speaks volumes.