Forgotten English / Jeffrey Kacirk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kacirk, Jeffrey.

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Obsolete words--Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.

English language.

English language--Obsolete words.

Genre:

Glossaries, vocabularies, etc.

Controlled vocabularies.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

xiv, 240 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Edition:

First Quill edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Quill/William Morrow, 1999.

Summary:

Have you ever sent a message via scandaroon, needed a nimgimmer, or fallen victim to bowelhive? Never heard of these terms? That's because they are a thing of the past. These words are alive and well, however, in Forgotten English, a charming collection of hundreds of archaic words, their definitions, and old-fashioned line drawings. For readers of Bill Bryson, Henry Beard, and Richard Lederer, Forgotten English is an eye-opening trip down a delightful etymological path. Readers learn that an ale connor sat in a puddle of ale to judge its quality, that a beemaster informed bees of any important household events, and that our ancestors had a saint for hangover sufferers, St. Bibiana, a fact pertinent to the word bibulous. Each selection is accompanied by literary excerpts demonstrating the word's usage, from sources such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, and Benjamin Franklin. Entertaining as well as educational, Forgotten English is a fascinating addition to word lovers' books. Takes an offbeat and amusing look at our language and social history.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-233) and index.

ISBN:

0688166369

9780688166366

OCLC:

41042879