Download E-books The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language PDF

By Mark Forsyth

Have you learnt why…

…a personal loan is actually a loss of life pledge? …why weapons have women’ names? …why salt is expounded to soldier?

You’re approximately to determine…

The Etymologicon (e-t?-‘mä-lä-ji-kän) is:
*Witty (wi-te\): jam-packed with shrewdpermanent humor

*Erudite (er-?-dit): exhibiting knowledge

*Ribald (ri-b?ld): Crude, offensive

The Etymologicon is a totally unauthorized consultant to the unusual underpinnings of the English language. It explains: the way you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you're totally correct to think that your meager wage slightly covers “money for salt”; how the most important chain of espresso retailers on the planet (hint: Seattle) connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what exactly the Rolling Stones need to do with gardening.

Show description

Read or Download The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language PDF

Similar Puzzles Games books

The Times How to Crack Cryptic Crosswords

Professional crossword solver and setter, Tim Moorey, seeks to dispel the parable that cryptic crosswords are the guard of the elite. during this effortless consultant, he demonstrates that any one who enjoys phrases and be aware play can discover ways to resolve a cryptic crossword clue. With transparent pictorially provided reasons for plenty of clues, you could enjoy the deep pride that comes from completing cryptic crossword puzzles.

A Selection of European Folk Dances: Volume 2

A variety of ecu folks Dances, quantity 2 is a range of folks dances from numerous ecu international locations open air the British Isles, whole with dance series and tune. those folks dances comprise Boarischer and Kreuzpolka from Austria; Kolomeyka from Carpathia; Schottische from Denmark; Viru Vals from Estonia; Bourrée Poursuite from France; Der Gamboliner Holzschuhtanz from Germany; Kokotek and Laura from Poland; Tarantella from Sicily; Fyrmanna Schottische from Sweden; and Hopak from Ukraine.

A Selection of European Folk Dances: Volume 4

A range of eu folks Dances, quantity four is a part of a sequence of booklets giving the dance series and song for a variety of people dances from quite a few ecu international locations open air the British Isles. equipped into 10 chapters, this e-book starts off with an outline of many of the holds and easy steps of the dances.

The Riddle of Scheherazade: And Other Amazing Puzzles

“The such a lot pleasing philosopher and set theorist who ever lived” (Martin Gardner) provides us an encore to the girl or the Tiger? -a fiendishly shrewdpermanent, completely attractive new number of 225 brainteasers, puzzles, and paradoxes.

Additional resources for The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

Show sample text content

On his go back domestic he informed tales approximately his exploits that no-one believed. those integrated driving on a cannonball, taking a short journey to the moon, and escaping from a marsh via pulling himself out by way of his personal hair. This latter feat is very unlikely, for the upward strength at the Baron’s hair may were cancelled out via the downward strength on his arm. It’s a pleasant thought, although, and von Munchausen’s preposterous precept was once later taken up via american citizens, yet rather than speaking approximately hair, the american citizens begun within the overdue 19th century to speak of pulling themselves up via their very own bootstraps. What’s most unlikely in physics is feasible in computing, and a working laptop or computer that’s capable of load its personal courses is, metaphorically, pulling itself up by way of its personal bootstraps. In 1953 the method used to be known as a bootstrap. through 1975 humans had bought uninterested in the strap, and from then on desktops easily booted up. unsolicited mail (not unsolicited mail) In 1937 a brand new product got here directly to the yank marketplace. It used to be made essentially of beef and potato starch and was once initially referred to as Hormel Spiced Ham since it was once made by means of Geo A. Hormel & Co. notwithstanding, a vice-president of Hormel had a brother who used to be an actor and most likely far better with phrases, and he urged that or not it's shortened from Spiced Ham to unsolicited mail. one other tale says that junk mail could stand for Shoulder of red meat And Ham. both manner, the Hormel meals company insists to this present day that it may be spelt with capital letters: junk mail, now not junk mail. Hitler made unsolicited mail an exceptional good fortune. the second one global struggle brought on nutrition shortages in Britain, which brought on strict rationing of unpolluted meat, which prompted Britons to show to tinned meat because it was once much less tightly rationed. The tinned meat to which the warlike Britons grew to become was once unsolicited mail, and this used to be shipped from the US in gargantuan amounts. After the conflict, junk mail remained a staple of the British vitamin, in particular in reasonable cafés, that is the place Monty Python is available in. In 1970 Monty Python produced the unsolicited mail comic strip during which individuals are diminished right into a nasty café someplace in Britain, the place nearly each dish includes unsolicited mail. After your time, a bunch of Vikings who additionally take place to be within the café begin making a song a tune to which the single phrases are: junk mail junk mail unsolicited mail unsolicited mail unsolicited mail unsolicited mail unsolicited mail On and on and on without end et nauseam. Monty Python is, for purposes top recognized to not anyone, really well liked by computing device programmers. There’s even a programming language known as Python, according to their sketches. This leads us, unavoidably, to Multi-User Dungeons, or MUDs. Multi-User Dungeons usually are not, as you've got imagined, unusual basement rooms within the pink mild district. as an alternative they have been an early type of web online game that existed within the Nineteen Eighties. smart computery fellows might use MUDs to teach one another courses they'd written, however the hottest of those courses used to be a very easy functional comic story. the 1st command within the shaggy dog story software used to be that the pc may still print the note junk mail. the second one command was once to return to the 1st command. the outcome used to be that the lyrics to the Monty Python track will be revealed out as a screenful of unsolicited mail.

Rated 4.56 of 5 – based on 6 votes