There's a provocative book on my Xmas hit list. F****** Apostrophes by Simon Griffin, published by Hyperbolic Press. Available from thatrudebookaboutapostrophes.com Thank you to David Marsh, Guardian columnist, for drawing my attention to Simon's book. Simon's website is worth a look. I love the vibrant no-nonsense design.

Word Spy is an amusing American site devoted to new words or phrases.

http://www.wordspy.com

autopathography
n. An autobiography that is inspired by or that focuses on a disease or disorder that afflicts the author.

buried shovel
n. A tool that is required to perform a certain task, but that is only available after you complete that task.  (e.g. online instructions on how to set up an internet connection - RJS)

captcha
n. A computer-generated test that humans can pass but computer programs cannot.
(Allegedly an acronym for 'Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.'  I find these captchas quite annoying - RJS)

content-free
n. A message or communication that is big on style but lacking in substance.

fact-resistant
adj. Impervious to reason, counterexamples, or data, especially when they contradict one’s opinions or values.

grey-sky thinking
n. Negative or pessimistic thoughts, ideas, or solutions.

grief tourist
n. A person who travels to the scene of a recent tragedy to mourn the victim or victims.

jump the couch
v. To exhibit frenzied or aberrant behaviour that makes it appear as though one is completely out of control or even insane.  (e.g. Tom Cruise on Oprah - RJS)

pancake people
n. Internet users who read widely, but without depth.

plonkable
adj. Cheap, easy, and quick to install.

sucking mud
adj. Not working; crashed.

throw it over the wall
v. To pass a project or problem to another person or department without consulting with them or coordinating the transfer in any way.

wave a dead chicken
v. To attempt to resolve a problem by taking steps that one believes to be futile but are nevertheless necessary so that others are satisfied that an appropriate degree of effort has been expended.

Another  recommended book is Accidence will Happen: The non-pedantic guide to English usage (2015) by Times columnist Oliver Kamm.
Kamm is critical of so-called English language experts.
For example, Gwynne's  Grammar : The Ultimate Introduction to Grammar and the Writing of Good English (2013) is dismissed as "a work of titanic silliness."

The Sense of Style. The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker (2014).

This is a book worth buying. The paperback edition is now available.

Pinker believes that knowledge can be a curse: "The main cause of incomprehensible prose is the difficulty of imagining what it's like for someone else not to know something that you know."