Start reading The Etymologicon on your Kindle in under a minute. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

 
 
 

Try it free

Sample the beginning of this book for free

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

Read books on your computer or other mobile devices with our FREE Kindle Reading Apps.
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
 
 

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language [Kindle Edition]

Mark Forsyth
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)

Digital List Price: £6.86 What's this?
Print List Price: £12.99
Kindle Price: £5.19 includes VAT* & free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet
You Save: £7.80 (60%)
Unlike print books, digital books are subject to VAT.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £5.19  
Hardcover £7.79  
Paperback --  
Audio, CD, Audiobook £9.75  
Audio Download, Unabridged £11.02 or Free with Audible.co.uk 30-day free trial


Product Description

Review

'I'm hooked on Forsyth's book ... Crikey, but this is addictive' - Mathew Parris, The Times, October 13

'One of the books of the year. It is too enjoyable for words.' - Henry Coningsby, Bookseller

'The Etymologicon, contains fascinating facts' - Daily Mail, October 24

'Kudos should go to Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon ... Clearly a man who knows his onions, Mr Forsyth must have worked 19 to the dozen, spotting red herrings and unravelling inkhorn terms, to bestow this boon - a work of the first water, to coin a phrase.' - Daily Telegraph

'The stocking filler of the season... How else to describe a book that explains the connection between Dom Pérignon and Mein Kampf, ' - Robert McCrum, The Observer

'A perfect bit of stocking filler for the bookish member of the family, or just a cracking all-year-round-read. Highly recommended.'
- Matthew Richardson, The Spectator, 15 Nov

Review

The surprise Christmas bestseller, now a BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK, read by Hugh Dennis. 'This year's must-have stocking filler - the angel on the top of the tree, the satsuma in the sock, the threepenny bit in the plum pudding, the essential addition to the library in the smallest room is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon.' Ian Sansom, Guardian 'I'm hooked on Forsyth's book - Crikey, but this is addictive' Mathew Parris, The Times 'The Etymologicon contains fascinating facts' Daily Mail 'Kudos should go to Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon - Clearly a man who knows his onions, Mr Forsyth must have worked 19 to the dozen, spotting red herrings and unravelling inkhorn terms, to bestow this boon - a work of the first water, to coin a phrase. Daily Telegraph, October 23 'From Nazis and film buffs to heckling and humble pie, the obscure origins of commonly-used words and phrases are explained.' Daily Telegraph 'One of the books of the year. It is too enjoyable for words,' Henry Coningsby, Bookseller, Waterstones Watford

Product details


More About the Author

Mark Forsyth
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Visit Amazon's Mark Forsyth Page

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
137 of 138 people found the following review helpful
Delightful 3 Nov 2011
Format:Hardcover
Mark Forsyth's meanderings through the English language are carried off with a panache that frankly leaves other etymological 'dictionaries' looking dry, dusty and rightly shelf-bound. Indeed, the fact that the book starts with the phrase "a turn up for the books" indicates exactly that; this is not a reference book, but a new, unique and often hilarious way of drawing out the richness of English in the form of a comic journey through the verbal linkages, rhyming paths and allegorical alleyways which crowd the author's inventive mind. Equally, though you can dip in and out so it's ideal commuting reading. I was most amused to learn about the link between underwear and Christianity on my way home today. I shall be on Amazon stocking up on more copies to stock stockings before Christmas... Any link there?
Was this review helpful to you?
86 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This witty and erudite book was filed in the reference section of my local bookshop. But despite the slightly forbidding title, and the fact that it is full of enlightening facts and connections, it shouldn't be be bought for reference so much as enjoyment("edutainment", perhaps, although the eloquent Mr Forsyth would probably disapprove of such a clumsy coinage). Perhaps the best way to describe it is to say that it wears its learning very lightly.

The writer takes you on a whirlwind journey through a series of words and historical facts, ingeniously linking each one to the next. There's a fair amount of schoolboy humour, so perhaps not one to buy for someone who doesn't appreciate references to codpieces, but this all adds to the fun (who would have guessed that feisty came from a word meaning "fart"?)

It was very difficult to read this without smiling, both at the jokes and with the joy of discovering new and useless scraps of information.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
what a wonderful compendium of interesting links between the words in our language. this is the perfect companion to an armchair and a log fire; and, after reading this book, you won't see English in the same way as you did before - you'll see English as a far friendlier entity, full of interconnections and pleasing self-references. buy 'the etymologicon' today, i urge you: if you want to enjoy all the more every single conversation you'll ever have in the future, that is.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Words - words - wonderful words!
I ordered this because I love words and finding out about them.

I was not disappointed. A wonderful tour through words and their derivations,
It is interesting how... Read more
Published 1 day ago by R T
Interesting
A very interesting book. When I read it I feel like having an intelligent friend telling me all sorts of stories about the origins of words, linking one from another. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Pni
The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth (read by Simon Shepherd)
This is a feast for word lovers, 6 CDs filled with over seven hours of definitions, and winding paths between various word that appear at first sight to be completely unrelated. Read more
Published 3 days ago by S. Bruch
He had me at "a turn up for the books" Compelling & entertaining.
Driving to work this past two weeks I've been accompanied by The Etymologicon in the CD player. Twice, after parking, I stayed listening to histories of words and phrases instead... Read more
Published 4 days ago by Squeebles
A gift to give to all
I have handed this on to many friends and bought several copies of the book- everybody from my parents to friends of all ages will dire the detail and clear learned research- a... Read more
Published 5 days ago by avid british reader
A pleasing confection
I got this on Kindle, but instead of sitting down to read it sequentially, I've found myself dipping into it on my phone in unlikely places, or reading it while commuting. Read more
Published 6 days ago by A. Hunt
The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth (read by Simon Shepherd)
This set of six CDs, which together lasts more than seven hours, is an amazing compilation of word derivations and connections in the English language. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Mrs. A. J. Shingler
Very enjoyable
The way the book is written - as a series of sections digressively connected and coming back at the end to where they started - is ideal for the audiobook format and for car... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Graham R. Hill
A hurried reading of assorted trivia
Simon Shepherd blazes through all the word associations at such a pace, that I found it impossible to appreciate most of them. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Prof TBun
Fantastically interesting Audio Book
This is a review of the audiobook verson read by Simon Shepherd (the well spoken actor I remember from playing Piers in Chancer back in the early 90's)

As good as a book... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Mr. R. D. Turner
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Popular Highlights

 (What's this?)
&quote;
Milton adored inventing words. When he couldnt find the right term he just made one up: &quote;
Highlighted by 66 Kindle users
&quote;
idiopathic craniofacial erythema1 &quote;
Highlighted by 52 Kindle users
&quote;
wamblecropt (afflicted with queasiness) &quote;
Highlighted by 50 Kindle users

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Customers Who Highlighted This Item Also Highlighted


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Privacy Statement Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Delivery Information Amazon Media EU S.à r.l. GB Returns & Exchanges