The Etymologicon

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425260798
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Book Description
This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike unearths the quirks of the English language. For example, do you know why a mortgage is literally a “death pledge”? Why guns have girls’ names? Why “salt” is related to “soldier”? Discover the answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains how you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers “money for salt”; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what, precisely, the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening. This witty book will awake the linguist in you and illuminate the hidden meanings behind common words and phrases, tracing their evolution through all of their surprising paths throughout history.

The Horologicon

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Icon Books
ISBN: 1848314302
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 215

Book Description
FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE ETYMOLOGICON. ‘Reading The Horologicon in one sitting is very tempting’ Roland White, Sunday Times. Mark Forsyth presents a delightfully eccentric day in the life of unusual, beautiful and forgotten English words. From uhtceare in the hours before dawn through to dream drumbles at bedtime, The Horologicon gives you the extraordinary lost words you never knew you needed. Wake up feeling rough? Then you’re philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling (which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after lunch). A Radio 4 Book of the Week, The Horologicon is an eye-opening, page-turning celebration of the English language at its most endearingly arcane.

The Elements of Eloquence

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781848317338
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Mark Forsyth's 'sparkling' (Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph) and idiosyncratically brilliant third book.

A Short History of Drunkenness

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0525575383
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

Book Description
From the internationally bestselling author of The Etymologicon, a lively and fascinating exploration of how, throughout history, each civilization has found a way to celebrate, or to control, the eternal human drive to get sloshed “An entertaining bar hop though the past 10,000 years.”—The New York Times Book Review Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there’s drink there’s drunkenness. But in every age and in every place drunkenness is a little bit different. It can be religious, it can be sexual, it can be the duty of kings or the relief of peasants. It can be an offering to the ancestors, or a way of marking the end of a day’s work. It can send you to sleep, or send you into battle. Making stops all over the world, A Short History of Drunkenness traces humankind’s love affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to the twentieth century, answering every possible question along the way: What did people drink? How much? Who did the drinking? Of the many possible reasons, why? On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended), marvel at how Greeks got giddy and Sumerians got sauced, and find out how bars in the Wild West were never quite like in the movies. This is a history of the world at its inebriated best.

The Unknown Unknown

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Icon Books Ltd
ISBN: 184831793X
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 42

Book Description
Mark Forsyth - author of the Sunday Times Number One bestseller The Etymologicon - reveals in this essay, specially commissioned for Independent Booksellers Week, the most valuable thing about a really good bookshop. Along the way he considers the wisdom of Donald Rumsfeld, naughty French photographs, why Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy would never have met online, and why only a bookshop can give you that precious thing - what you never knew you were looking for.

An Analytic Dictionary of the English Etymology

Author: Anatoly Liberman
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452913218
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 413

Book Description
This work introduces renowned linguistics scholar Anatoly Liberman's comprehensive dictionary and bibliography of the etymology of English words. The English etymological dictionaries published in the past claim to have solved the mysteries of word origins even when those origins have been widely disputed. An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology "by contrast, discusses all of the existing derivations of English words and proposes the best one. In the inaugural volume, Liberman addresses fifty-five words traditionally dismissed as being of unknown etymology. Some of the entries are among the most commonly used words in English, including man, boy, girl, bird, brain, understand, key, ever, " and yet." Others are slang: mooch, nudge, pimp, filch, gawk, " and skedaddle." Many, such as beacon, oat, hemlock, ivy," and toad," have existed for centuries, whereas some have appeared more recently, for example, slang, kitty-corner, " and Jeep." They are all united by their etymological obscurity. This unique resource book discusses the main problems in the methodology of etymological research and contains indexes of subjects, names, and all of the root words. Each entry is a full-fledged article, shedding light for the first time on the source of some of the most widely disputed word origins in the English language. "Anatoly Liberman is one of the leading scholars in the field of English etymology. Undoubtedly his work will be an indispensable tool for the ongoing revision of the etymological component of the entries in the Oxford English Dictionary."" --Bernhard Diensberg, OED" consultant, French etymologies Anatoly Liberman is professor of Germanic philology at the University of Minnesota. He has published many works, including 16 books, most recently Word Origins . . . and How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone."

The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between

Author: Patrick Foote
Publisher: Mango Media Inc.
ISBN: 1642506826
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 167

Book Description
Dive Into the Fun Facts Behind Names and Word Origins #1 Bestseller in Words, Language & Grammar, Etymology The best-selling book is back in it’s second volume with more names, more words, and even more in-between than before! What’s in a name? The answer is far more complex and interesting than you may think. From the person behind the popular Youtube channel, NameExplain, comes the second volume of his best-selling book The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between. This new book is a fun, interesting and educational journey through the world of etymology. It covers a huge array of names from a variety of topic areas, and includes a bunch of random facts behind the names. From first names, to bodies of water?there’s no name big or small, important or obscure that won’t be explained. Find fun facts. Presented in a light and entertaining manner, The Origin of Names compels you to learn a ton of things you didn’t know you wanted to know. Unlike a dictionary, everything in this book is easy to understand and can be read from start to finish, or in short bursts. It’s also a lot more fun to read?Patrick explains each name with jokes and quips you’re bound to enjoy, and it’s full of pictures too! Be the know-it-all you always wanted to be. In The Origin of Names you’ll: Learn fascinating word origins and bizarre name meanings Be able to entertain yourself and friends with random facts Gain honor and renown for your unrivaled knowledge of etymology If you enjoyed books like Interesting Stories For Curious People, Stuff You Should Know, or The Great Book of American Idioms, then you’ll love The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between: Volume II.

The Illustrated Etymologicon

Author: Mark Forsyth
Publisher: Icon Books
ISBN: 1785788752
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 322

Book Description
A NEW, BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER, PUBLISHED ON ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY. 'Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent. 'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard. The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? Mark Forsyth's riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere. 'Highly recommended' Spectator

The Well-Spoken Thesaurus

Author: Tom Heehler
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ISBN: 1402262485
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 395

Book Description
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is designed to help you improve your communication skills by expanding your vocabulary. The book includes over 200 words, arranged in easy-to-use categories, such as "positive emotions," "negative emotions," "intellectual terms," and "descriptive terms." Each entry includes a definition, synonyms, antonyms, and usage examples. The Well-Spoken Thesaurus is particularly useful for writers who want to improve the precision and impact of their language. By providing a range of synonyms for common words and phrases, the book helps writers avoid repetition and clichés, while also encouraging them to use language that is more vivid, specific, and memorable. Some of the benefits of using The Well-Spoken Thesaurus include: Making a stronger impression: By choosing words that are more precise and impactful, you can help your writing stand out from the crowd and make a stronger impression. Demonstrating your communication skills: Using a wide range of vocabulary can demonstrate that you are articulate, sophisticated, and able to communicate effectively. Conveying your personality: Includes a range of descriptive terms that can help you convey your personality and character traits in your writing Overall, The Well-Spoken Thesaurus can be a valuable resource for anyone who wants to improve their writing and communication skills.

In Case You Get Hit by a Bus

Author: Abby Schneiderman
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
ISBN: 1523510471
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 257

Book Description
A step-by-step program for getting your life in order, so you’re prepared for the unexpected. The odds of getting hit by a bus are 495,000 to 1. But the odds that you’re going to die some day? Exactly. Even the most disorganized among us can take control of our on- and off-line details so our loved ones won’t have to scramble later. The experts at Everplans, a leading company in digital life planning, make it possible in this essential and easy-to-follow book. Breaking the task down into three levels, from the most urgent (like granting access to passwords), to the technical (creating a manual for the systems in your home), to the nostalgic (assembling a living memory), this clear, step-by-step program not only removes the anxiety and stress from getting your life in order, it’s actually liberating. And deeply satisfying, knowing that you’re leaving the best parting gift imaginable. When you finish this book, you will have: A system for managing all your passwords and secret codes Organized your money and assets, bills and debts A complete understanding of all the medical directives and legal documents you need––including Wills, Powers of Attorney, and Trusts A plan for meaningful photos, recipes, and family heirlooms Records of your personal history, interests, beliefs, and life lessons An instruction manual for your home and vehicles Your funeral planned and obituary written (if you’re up for it)