Description

Book Synopsis
We use salty or artful language to win arguments, slander, cheat and bully, as well as to express feelings of joy or frustration and blow off steam. Rik Smits delves into the magic of oaths and profanity, art and advertising, probes the lure of fake-news and propaganda, and explores invective and off-colour jokes the world over. The Art of Verbal Warfare shows why conversation dies in crowded lifts, what drives you to curse at your laptop and what makes some political bigshots fall, but not others. This is, when all is said and done, the story of how we get through life without coming to physical blows.

The Art of Verbal Warfare

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    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 19 Aug 2026.

    A Hardback by Rik Smits

    10 in stock

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      Publisher: Reaktion Books
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 11/07/2022
      ISBN13: 9781789145946, 978-1789145946
      ISBN10: 1789145945
      Also in:
      Language: history and general works

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      We use salty or artful language to win arguments, slander, cheat and bully, as well as to express feelings of joy or frustration and blow off steam. Rik Smits delves into the magic of oaths and profanity, art and advertising, probes the lure of fake-news and propaganda, and explores invective and off-colour jokes the world over. The Art of Verbal Warfare shows why conversation dies in crowded lifts, what drives you to curse at your laptop and what makes some political bigshots fall, but not others. This is, when all is said and done, the story of how we get through life without coming to physical blows.

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