Publisher Description
Do you know …
-
why a mortgage
is literally a death pledge? -
why guns have
girls’ names? -
why salt is
related to soldier?
You’re about to find out.
The
Etymologicon e-tə-‘mä-lä-ji-kän is:
-
Witty wi-tē:
Full of clever humor -
Erudite er-ə-ˌdīt:
Showing knowledge -
Ribald ri-bəld:
Crude, offensive
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 (hint: Seattle) connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what precisely
the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.
Download and start listening now!
“Mark Forsyth is clearly a man who knows his onions.”
—
Daily Telegraph (London)
