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Synopsis
Did you know that an assassin is a hashish-eater and a yokel a country woodpecker? That Dr Mesmer mesmerized patients back to health or that Samuel Pepys enjoyed a good game of handicap? While we're at it, what have spondulics to do with spines or lawyers with avocados? Here Albert Jack collects more than 500 of the strangest, funniest-sounding, and most delightful words in the English language, and traces them back to their often puzzling origins. While brushing up on your gibberish or gobbledygook, discover why bastards should resent traveling salesmen, why sheets should remain on tenterhooks, and why you should never set down a tumbler before finishing your drink. From blotto to bamboozle and from claptrap to quango, Albert Jack's addictive anecdotes bring the world's most colorful language to life and are guaranteed to surprise and entertain.
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About the Author
Albert Jack is a writer and historian. His books include Red Herrings and White Elephants, Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep, and Pop Goes the Weasel.
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- PublisherRandom House UK
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1847946690
- ISBN 13 9781847946690
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages288
- Rating
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It's a Wonderful Word : The Real Origins of Our Favourite Words from Anorak to Zombie
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It's a Wonderful Word: The Real Origins of Our Favourite Words
Published by
Random House Books 03/11/2011, 2011
ISBN 10: 1847946690
ISBN 13: 9781847946690
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It's a Wonderful Word: The Real Origins of Our Favourite Words
Published by
Random House Books 03/11/2011, 2011
ISBN 10: 1847946690
ISBN 13: 9781847946690
Used
Hardcover
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Its a Wonderful Word The Real Origins of Our Favourite Words by Jack, Albert ( Author ) ON Nov-03-2011, Hardback
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Its a Wonderful Word The Real Origins of Our Favourite Words by Jack, Albert ( Author ) ON Nov-03-2011, Hardback
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