The Accidental Dictionary: The Remarkable Twists and Turns of English Words
Paul Anthony Jones
(Author)
Description
Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man; nice meant ignorant; glamor was magic, and a cupboard was a table. Buxom used to mean obedient; a cloud was a rock; raunchy originally meant dirty.
Focusing on one hundred surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.
So, let's revel in its randomness and delight in its diversity--our dictionary is indeed accidental.
Product Details
Price
$16.95
Publisher
Pegasus Books
Publish Date
January 08, 2019
Pages
224
Dimensions
5.2 X 0.7 X 7.9 inches | 0.4 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9781681778945
BISAC Categories:
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About the Author
Paul Anthony Jones is a writer, etymologist, and language blogger. He is the author of several British books on trivia and language, including the widely acclaimed Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities. He has contributed to the Guardian, the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Mental Floss and BBC Radio 4's The World at One, and he also runs @HaggardHawks, the hugely popular language-based Twitter account and YouTube channel. A piano teacher and musician, he lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Reviews
These surprising word stories show how definitions of even everyday terms appear then disappear, expand and contract, and develop and distort, making for pleasurable reading, especially owing to the author's lightheartedly learned style. Recommended for word buffs and those interested in language change.
