The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
Nov 2011 · Icon Books Ltd
4.4star
21 reviewsreport
Ebook
272
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About this ebook
'Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent.
'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard.
The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?
Mark Forsyth's riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.
'Highly recommended' Spectator.
'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard.
The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?
Mark Forsyth's riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.
'Highly recommended' Spectator.
Ratings and reviews
4.4
21 reviews
A Google user
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The author claims to have "antedated", that is, found an earlier attestation of the poo word "crap" than the citations in the Oxford English Dictionary. One J. Churchill wrote in 1801 "CRAP, CRAP". Which simply an echoism like PLOP PLOP. Sorry. Crapper WAS the man.
1 person found this review helpful
Jacques Kovacs
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October 25, 2017
Witty and interesting
Steve Kim
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August 30, 2013
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist and blogger. His book The Etymologicon was a Sunday Times Number One Bestseller and his TED Talk 'What's a snollygoster?' has had more than half a million views. He is also the author of The Horologicon and The Elements of Eloquence, and wrote a specially commissioned essay The Unknown Unknown for Independent Booksellers Week. He lives in London with his dictionaries, and blogs at blog.inkyfool.com.
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