Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Sun Lite for Nov. 3, 2003

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Nov. 3, 2003 | 8:34 a.m.

A little too wordy

In the mood to do a little light reading? Good news: When it comes to literature, it doesn't get much "lighter"than the topics of a few new books just waiting to be perused.

The more educational of the pair is dictionary-esque sort of. The bulk of the pages of "More Weird and Wonderful Words"(edited by Erin McKean; Oxford University Press, $16.95) are as the title suggests jampacked with scores of nouns, adjectives and verbs you've probably never heard before, and will likely never have a chance to toss around during conversations.

More useless knowledge with which to bog down our brains exactly what we all need. Go ahead, smart guy: We dare you adopt these obscure gems into your daily vocabularly. We'll even lend a hand by using them in sentences:

By any other name

As a kid, were you saddled with a nickname by some fun-loving kinfolk or a school-yard torturer? Did you happily accept the moniker, or cringe when it thundered in your ears? More importantly, did it stick with you like a bad rash into adulthood?

Whatever the case, you must certainly know by now you're not alone in answering to the call of something other than your given name. That's the subject of "Eleanor, Ellatony. Ellencake and Me"(McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing, $14.95) a kiddie book by New York City (aka The Big Apple) author Cathy "Boots" Rubin.

Even powerful, rich-and-famous people have been known by nicknames and more than a few are still. Ever wondered how Dana Elaine Owens came to be known as rapper-turned-Oscar-nominated-actress Queen Latifah? A cousin dubbed her "Latifah,"an Arabic word meaning "delicate and sensitive; the "Queen" part came later.

Hollywood hottie Denise Richards (these days, she also responds to "Mrs. Charlie Sheen) was a schoolgirl teased by classmates who called her "Fish Lips,"on account of her now-famous pucker. Same went for "Charlie's Angel"Cameron Diaz: The slender miss was mocked (called "Skeletor) for being so skinny. Whoopi Goldberg's tale is more embarrassing: Caryn Johnson was plagued by persistent flatulence as a child and called "Whoopi Cushion."Poor thing.

You don't go through a presidency known as "George Dubya"without bestowing pet names on everyone in your cabinet (that their relevance perplexes the rest of the planet is of little consequence). Just call Secretary of State Colin Powell "Balloonfoot" President Bush does. National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice is "Guru," while former presidential advisor Karen Hughes is "High Prophet."And it must have took some serious mental gymnastics for the Commander-in-Chief to devise a term of endearment for wife Laura Bush: "First."