The most compendious collection of words for aspiring scholars, this book will help readers hold their own in intellectual discourse. Featuring 2,400 sophisticated, obscure, and obtuse terms, each page will teach them the definitions they need to know to lock academic horns with the clerisy. From antebellum and eleemosynary to impasto and putative, they will quickly master hundreds of erudite phrases that will not only improve their conversational elegance, but also transform them into the life of every highbrow cocktail party. Complete with definitions and sample sentences for each entry, The Big Book of Words You Should Know to Sound Smart will elevate readers' lexicon as they impress the susurration out of the perfervid hoi polloi. AUTHOR: Robert W. Bly is a professional writer, author of more than seventy books, and self-made millionaire. McGraw-Hill called him "America's top copywriter," and he is the recipient of the American Writers and Artists 2007 Copywriter of the Year award.