The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Paperback

$20.00
$20.00
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The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
  • The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Paperback

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language - Paperback

by Mark Forsyth
$20.00
$20.00

Book Overview

by Mark Forsyth (Author)

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.

Author Biography

Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist, proofreader, ghostwriter, and pedant. He was given a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary as a christening present and has never looked back. He is the creator of The Inky Fool, a blog about words, phrases, grammar, rhetoric, and prose.

Number of Pages: 304
Dimensions: 0.9 x 7.7 x 5 IN
Publication Date: October 02, 2012
ISBN9780425260791
Author Mark Forsyth
PublisherBerkley Books
GenreEducation
FormatPaperback
PublishedOctober 2012
LanguageENG- English
Pages304
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Language Arts & Disciplines Nonfiction Reference

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