Richard Lederer (born 1938) is an American linguist, author, speaker, and teacher. He is best known for his books on the English language and on wordplay such as puns, oxymorons, and anagrams. He has been dubbed "the Wizard of Idiom," "Attila the Pun," and "Conan the Grammarian." and was the 2002 recipient of the Golden Gavel of Toastmasters International.
Early life and education
The youngest of five children, Lederer grew up in West Philadelphia. He graduated from Haverford College as a pre-med student. He attended Harvard Law School for one year,
Career
He has written more than 50 books, including Anguished English books starting in 1987, Get Thee to a Punnery (1988), Crazy English (1989), The Miracle of Language (1992), Amazing Words (2011), and The Joy of Names (2018).
Known as a "verbivore," a word he coined in the late 1980s, Lederer's interests include uncovering word and phrase origins, pointing out common grammatical errors and fallacies, and exploring palindromes, anagrams, and other forms of recreational wordplay.
His books about various subjects other than language include Presidential Trivia (2007), A Treasury for Cat Lovers (2009) and A Treasury for Dog Lovers (2009), The Gift of Age (2011), A Tribute to Teachers (2011), and American Trivia with Caroline McCullagh (2012).
In 1998, he and Charles Elster became the first co-hosts of the weekly radio show, A Way with Words, produced by KPBS, San Diego Public Radio, and broadcast by multiple stations throughout the United States. In October 2006, Lederer retired from A Way with Words and was replaced by Grant Barrett. He continues broadcasting through regular guest appearances on several major market public and Clear-Channel commercial radio stations.
Lederer makes more than a hundred appearances each year, many of them benefit performances in San Diego.
Personal life
Lederer and his first wife, Rhoda, have three children: