Labels for Locals: What to Call People from Abilene to Zimbabwe - Softcover

Dickson, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0877796165 ISBN 13: 9780877796169

Publisher: Merriam Webster, 1997

Synopsis

These are the polite versions. Most are the standard English form such as Costa Rican and Grand Forker. Also includes nicknames such as Hoosier (Indiana) and Hogtowner (Toronto) and some foreign terms, especially Spanish and French. Lists both places and names, and traces the origin of many of the unusually terms. Well cross-referenced. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About this title

Review

What do you call a man from Edinburgh? It's not a joke to Paul Dickson. He compiled more than 1,000 names for residents of cities, states, and countries around the world. It's addictive perusal material, but it's also a practical and necessary reference for writers and travelers who wish to avoid marring their texts or insulting their hosts at first salutation. Think of President Kennedy's speech wherein he called himself a jelly doughnut (ein Berliner), or how folks from Indiana fume at any moniker besides Hoosier. In an era of raised hackles, it's nice to have a resource to save you from embarrassing linguistic slips.

About the Author

Paul Dickson has written eight bat and ball books (one on softball, seven on baseball) and is working on the third edition of his Dickson Baseball Dictionary, as well as a new work, The Unwritten Rules of Baseball. He also writes narrative 20th century American history and compiles word books. He lives in Garrett Park, Maryland, with his wife, Nancy.

Edition details

• Publisher: Merriam Webster
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0877796165
• ISBN 13: 9780877796169
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 217