Six words you never knew had something to do with pigs : and other fascinating facts about the English language / Katherine Barber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Barber, Katherine, 1959-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Etymology.

English language.

English language--History.

History.

Physical Description:

xix, 220 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Penguin Books, 2007.

Summary:

Did you know that the word "travel" is derived from an instrument of torture? That "tragedy" originally had something to do with goats? Or that the expression "You're toast!" comes from the movie Ghostbusters? With the easy erudition and lively wit that have won her legions of fans, Katherine Barber-Canada's Word Lady and the editor in chief of The Canadian Oxford Dictionary-presents more than five hundred intriguing and entertaining little histories of some of the most common words and phrases in the English language. This endlessly fascinating volume is organized thematically by season, so dip in on Valentine's Day to discover that "passion fruit" has nothing to do with love, or on Thanksgiving to find out why there aren't any turkeys in Turkey. Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs is a captivating gem of a book you'll want to pick up time and again-that is, if you can ever put it down.

Contents:

Bluff Your Way in Etymology xi

Spring 1

Down on the Farm 2

Give Me a Break! 9

Hallelujah! 17

Easter Bonnets 20

The Tax Man Cometh 22

Birds of a Feather 27

The Rake's Progress 31

Memorial Day 34

Good Stuff Cheap 42

Summer 47

A Matter of Degree 48

Fore! 52

Here Comes the Bride 55

Eating Out on the Fourth of July 62

My Little Place in the Country 68

The Dog Days of Summer 70

Getting All Jammed Up 73

Hitting the Road 78

Tennis, Anyone? 83

Stormy Weather 86

Labor Day 90

Fall 93

Back to School 94

Games Children Play 105

Teenspeak 108

Shall We Dance? 110

On Stage 114

Music to Our Ears 117

Hard to Keep Them Down on the Farm 120

The Hunt Is On 124

Batter Up! 126

Diwali 132

Thanksgiving 134

Sale! Hurry In! 138

Beyond the Advent Calendar 143

Only 24 Shopping Days Left 147

Winter 151

Wassail, Wassail All over the Town 152

Bundle Up! 162

Happy New Year! 165

New Year's Babies 172

Chinese New Year 177

Auld Lang Syne 179

Place Your Bets 182

Flu Season 184

The Budget Message 190

Be Mine 195

With Easter Fast Approaching 199

The Envelope, Please 202

Lots of Hebrew Words 203

Index 1 Words 207

Index 2 Languages 213.

Notes:

"First published in Canada by Oxford University Press Canada 2006"--T.p. verso.

Includes indexes.

ISBN:

0143038125

9780143038122

OCLC:

71173930