- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Kyle Cathie; New edition edition (1 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1856265641
- ISBN-13: 978-1856265645
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 271,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Good Book Guide, March 2005
a light-hearted trip through the fascinating byways of the English language
Product Description
Words are the building blocks of language, but their derivations are often stories in themselves. Have you ever wondered why we wear perfume, read magazines, vote for candidates, speak in jargon? Sometimes the origin of a word can be pinpointed with great accuracy - sputnik entered the English language (and many other languages around the world) on the day the Russian spacecraft was launched in 1957. Others are vaguer - butterfly goes back at least a thousand years and, sadly, there is no evidence that the creature was ever called a flutterby. With entries from assassin to villain, bankrupt to sterling, cigar to tobacco, Linda and Roger Flavell explain the origins of 300 commonly used words.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a quick reference to those common words which we all use without thinking this book is a must. Well put together and easy to understand with well researched content. Above all this book is interesting and fun to read. For the serious student of language this book could benefit from a quick reference to the period when the word came into common use.
Highly recommended.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bought it for our 11 year old son (at his request!), and he loves it. What more can I say. Not an in-depth review, but it does what I wanted of it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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1 review
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Disappointing
22 Nov 2001
Format:Paperback
I received this book as a gift from a friend who noticed my general interest in the origins of words and phrases. And indeed, I was happy when I first saw the title because I do find this subject to be interesting. However upon reading the book I was disappointed.
I can't really put my hand on the reason(s) of my disappointment. It could be because of the fact that I was able to point out a few mistakes myself. It could be because of the complicated and unorganized fashion of presenting the information. It could even be because of the poor printing quality! Nevertheless, I was disappointed and did not find this book to be satisfying.
It could be because I myself didn't have sincere interest in the subject, but I doubt that.
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