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Port Out, Starboard Home
 
 
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Port Out, Starboard Home [Paperback]

Michael Quinion
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Customers buy this book with Why is Q Always Followed by U?: Word-Perfect Answers to the Most-Asked Questions About Language £10.99

Port Out, Starboard Home + Why is Q Always Followed by U?: Word-Perfect Answers to the Most-Asked Questions About Language
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Product details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (1 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141012234
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141012230
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 11 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 154,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Michael Quinion
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Product Description

Review

Michael Quinion's World Wide Words is the web authority on English etymology (word origins) and usage—come here for definitive information on some of the most interesting, amusing and downright weird words and phrases in the English language. (Cambridge Dictionaries Online web site (February 2003) )

Catholic Herald, 16th July, 2004

Every page of this book is a sheer delight. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting, 4 Nov 2005
By 
C. Houghton "Kit" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Port Out, Starboard Home (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?'

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Language Myths Explained, 3 Mar 2005
By 
Mrs. D. J. Smith "eowyngreenleaf" (Luton, England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
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.
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77 of 80 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, 16 July 2004
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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