The Spectator, 31 July 3005
This is a marvellous and original book, erudition without tears.
Catholic Herald, 16th July, 2004
Every page of this book is a sheer delight.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
For anyone interested in the history and origins of words and common expressions, this is the book for you. Michael Quinion casts an educated and amusing eye on the popular myths and folk etymologies that surround many words and expressions in the English language. I enjoyed it very much and now feel vastly superior on an intellectual level to all my friends and am never short of a fact or two to retell when ever need arises, and occasionally when it doesn't.
Best for English/History enthusiastes who have ever wondered 'Where did that saying come from?'
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a well written and entertaining look at the origins of words and phrases in the English language. There are often myths that have arisen around the origin of terms that can be dismissed by looking for occurrences in print to see if the dates tie up. The only frustrating part is that often we don't know the true origin of a particular word or phrase! It's good that Quinion explains some expressions that don't make a lot of sense today, simply because of changes in language. Recommended if you are interested in the evolution of language, or are just curious about the origins of some well known expressions.
77 of 80 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Michael Quinion is in the business of dispelling language myths, as well as explaining etymologies and the meaning of common phrases and slang. He's being doing this for years on his excellent web site World Wide Words. This book is a distillation of some of the material that has appeared on his web site, in a simple A to Z format. It's thoughtful and well written, and explains lots of those irritating or puzzling terms and expressions ("cheap at half the price", "mind your Ps and Qs"). My one complaint is that it's printed on rather low quality paper. Otherwise very good, and I recommend the web site too, which has a whole lot more material on it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fascinating
In-depth histories of the words and phrases we use every day without thinking about them. These are level, balanced accounts, and yet very readable. Read more
Published 2 months ago by P.G.
Best on the subject
This is the best book on the subject of derivation of idioms - manners of speaking!
One lesson is that such words or phrases do NOT originate, as a rule, from acronyms (e.g. Read more
One lesson is that such words or phrases do NOT originate, as a rule, from acronyms (e.g. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eric Rachut
the dust gatherer
Dear Michael,
I'm sure you spent hours compiling this collection but it was not worth it. However I would award five stars for a misleading title.
I'm sure you spent hours compiling this collection but it was not worth it. However I would award five stars for a misleading title.
Published 16 months ago by valhalla
A joy to read.
Very interesting. Well written. A joy to read about the origins (true and alleged) of phrases.
Published on 19 Aug 2009 by Marcos Javier Garcia
Absorbing and original
Very readable, enjoyable look at the origins of those words and phrases we use day in day out.
Unlike so many books of this ilk, this wears its learning very lightly and... Read more
Unlike so many books of this ilk, this wears its learning very lightly and... Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2007 by G. L. Haggett
Informative but not very engaging
I found this book to be quite interesting in some places, but too many times the author went through a protracted argument about why certain explanations of words are wrong. Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2005 by Greg Beard
Interesting but Dull
I found this book interesting but it failed to keep my attention. I have shelved it as a reference book as I am sure it will be helpful to me one day.
Published on 12 Feb 2005 by Ms D. Clinton
Good idea but disappointing
This idea behind this book is great. It is such a shame that it is written in such a dry style. I felt I had many disappointing "oh" moments rather than enlightening "a-ha"... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2004
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