Listellany
eBook - ePub

Listellany

A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop

  1. 118 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Listellany

A Miscellany of Very British Top Tens, From Politics to Pop

About this book

Delightfully nerdy and geeky, perfect water cooler fodder that's guaranteed to generate discussion. This quirky and unusual book of top 10's covers politics, language, history, pop culture and more - with a distinctive British slant.

This is NOT a fact-based compendium. It's purely opinion – the opinions of John Rentoul, his readers—and, yes, Twitter. Every week in the Independent on Sunday, John Rentoul publishes a top 10 based on suggestions from the great British public, covering a wide range of pressing issues, such as which are the books that people buy but never read?* Now collected together for the first time, and featuring previously unpublished lists, this is a book of open arguments that will ask readers to continue the discussion and contribute to the great debate online. It addresses essential topics such as: most overrated 1960s bands; meaningless words found on modern menus; great bands with terrible names; films panned as turkeys that are actually quite good; most beautiful British railway journeys; stupid car names; unsung villains; political heckles; words that ought to be used more often; British place names; best prime ministers we never had; visual clichĂ©s; political myths; anagrams; misquotations; worst Beatles songs; most interesting politicians. This book is a compendium of the answers to such quintessential pub arguments. But who knows best? You, John, or Twitter? Pick up this book and join the debate. *Top answers: Long Walk to Freedom; A Brief History of Time; Ulysses; Life of Pi; Longitude; Spycatcher; Gravity's Rainbow; My Life by Bill Clinton; Living History by Hillary Clinton; anything by Jamie Oliver.

Information

eBook ISBN
9781783960071
Year
2015

Table of contents

  1. Title
  2. Contents
  3. Top ten reasons to read this book (or ‘The Introduction’)
  4. 1. Underrated family films
  5. 2. Plurals that have become singular
  6. 3. Footnotes
  7. 4. Malapropisms
  8. 5. Signs with double meanings
  9. 6. Surprisingly unrelated pairs of words
  10. 7. First sentences of novels
  11. 8. Last sentences of novels
  12. 9. Words that used to mean the opposite
  13. 10. Words with opposite meanings
  14. 11. Fictional villains
  15. 12. Upbeat songs that tell a sad story
  16. 13. Genuine shop names
  17. 14. Mixed metaphors
  18. 15. Lost positives
  19. 16. Tautologous abbreviations
  20. 17. Examples of journalese
  21. 18. Most interesting politicians
  22. 19. Spoonerisms
  23. 20. Tautologies
  24. 21. Translated tautologies
  25. 22. Songs that mean the opposite of what most people think
  26. 23. Unexpected etymologies
  27. 24. Most English remarks of all time
  28. 25. Misused fables
  29. 26. Palindromes
  30. 27. Words used only with one other word
  31. 28. English Monarchs 1066–1707
  32. 29. Unisex names of MPs
  33. 30. Ways of defeating the Daleks
  34. 31. Anagrams
  35. 32. Most beautiful British railway journeys
  36. 33. New clichés that should be banned
  37. 34. Phrases that ought to be off the menu
  38. 35. Words that ought to be used more often
  39. 36. Party conference speeches
  40. 37. Great bands with terrible names
  41. 38. Films panned as turkeys that are actually quite good
  42. 39. Political myths
  43. 40. Original titles of novels
  44. 41. Douglas Adams quotations
  45. 42. Questions to which the answer is no
  46. 43. Transpositions of sounds in words
  47. 44. Words that lost or gained an ‘N’
  48. 45. Stupid car names
  49. 46. Unsung villains
  50. 47. Laws of life
  51. 48. Political heckles
  52. 49. Best British place names
  53. 50. Most overrated 1960s bands
  54. 51. Best prime ministers we never had
  55. 52. Visual clichés
  56. 53. Useful words for which there is no English equivalent
  57. 54. Politicians not known by their first name 91
  58. 55. Books people buy but don’t read
  59. 56. American footballers’ names
  60. 57. Misquotations
  61. 58. Worst Beatles songs
  62. 59. Surnames that have died out
  63. 60. Everyday lies
  64. 61. Recurring news stories
  65. 62. Yiddish words
  66. 63. Elegant variations
  67. 64. Great unremarked changes of our lifetime
  68. Top ten lists that didn’t make it
  69. Top ten people to whom I am grateful (otherwise known as ‘The Acknowledgements’)
  70. Contributions and nominations
  71. Copyright

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