Schott's Significa
An Unexpectedly Essential Guide to Language
Published on 9. October 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-241-73660-9 (ISBN)
Description
SCHOTT IS BACK - and better than ever.
From the mind behind the million-copy bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany comes an indispensable field guide to the hidden lore and secret languages of our modern age.
A must-give Christmas gift for word nerds, culture lovers and the endlessly curious
'Beyond extraordinary' Gyles Brandreth
'The Rosetta Stone for modern times' Graydon Carter
'This truly remarkable book is quite unlike any other work of etymology or entertainment' Andrew Roberts
'Ben Schott ... cannot write an inelegant sentence' The Times
--
When do London cabbies take oranges and lemons?
How do marmalade droppers sell newspapers?
Who eats the forbidden brownie at Starbucks?
Secret languages surround us. From graffiti writers, gondoliers, and gym rats to spies, sneakerheads, and Swifties - every group creates a private lingo of jargon and gesture that eludes the rest of the world.
Not anymore.
In Schott's Significa, Ben Schott - bestselling author and master curator of the ungoogleable - unlocks 53 of the most intriguing linguistic subcultures, including:
Casinos and crypto
Doctors and dog walkers
Bartenders and typographers
Stunt performers and church ushers
Paparazzi snappers and competitive eaters.
Painstakingly researched, lavishly illustrated and exquisitely designed, Schott's Significa is more than a miscellany of secret languages.
It's a celebration of the power of communication, the joy of connection, and the delight of discovery.
From the mind behind the million-copy bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany comes an indispensable field guide to the hidden lore and secret languages of our modern age.
A must-give Christmas gift for word nerds, culture lovers and the endlessly curious
'Beyond extraordinary' Gyles Brandreth
'The Rosetta Stone for modern times' Graydon Carter
'This truly remarkable book is quite unlike any other work of etymology or entertainment' Andrew Roberts
'Ben Schott ... cannot write an inelegant sentence' The Times
--
When do London cabbies take oranges and lemons?
How do marmalade droppers sell newspapers?
Who eats the forbidden brownie at Starbucks?
Secret languages surround us. From graffiti writers, gondoliers, and gym rats to spies, sneakerheads, and Swifties - every group creates a private lingo of jargon and gesture that eludes the rest of the world.
Not anymore.
In Schott's Significa, Ben Schott - bestselling author and master curator of the ungoogleable - unlocks 53 of the most intriguing linguistic subcultures, including:
Casinos and crypto
Doctors and dog walkers
Bartenders and typographers
Stunt performers and church ushers
Paparazzi snappers and competitive eaters.
Painstakingly researched, lavishly illustrated and exquisitely designed, Schott's Significa is more than a miscellany of secret languages.
It's a celebration of the power of communication, the joy of connection, and the delight of discovery.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 254 mm
Width: 178 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
987 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-73660-9 (9780241736609)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2025
Penguin Books Ltd
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Ben Schott is the creator and designer of the international bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany and its three sequels. He subsequently published a series of Schott's Almanacs, a collection of German neologisms - Schottenfreude - and two authorized homages to P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves and The King of Clubs and Jeeves and The Leap of Faith. Together, these books have sold some 2.5 million copies in 21 languages (including Braille). Ben has written for the Times, The Telegraph, The New York Times, The Spectator, The Guardian, Private Eye, Reader's Digest and The Paris Review, among others. In 2004 he won a D&AD Pencil for Creative Excellence, and in 2015 he won the James Beard award for humour.