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The accidental dictionary
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The accidental dictionary

: The remarkable twists and turns of English words

by Paul Anthony Jones
13th June, 2019

£8.99 £8.99 Save 0% | Paperback


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How well do you know your words?

Buxom used to mean obedient
A cloud was a rock
Raunchy originally meant dirty

Brimming with hidden histories and tantalising twists, The Accidental Dictionary tells the extraordinary stories behind ordinary words.

Our everyday language is full of surprises; its origins are stranger than you might think. Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past.

Busking, for instance, originally meant piracy. Grin meant to snarl. A bimbo was a man, nice meant ignorant, glamour was magic and a cupboard was a table...

Focusing on 100 surprising threads in the evolution of English, The Accidental Dictionary reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.

So, let's revel in its randomness and delight in its diversity - our dictionary is indeed accidental.

Paul Anthony Jones is a writer, etymologist and language blogger. He is the author of several books on trivia and language, including the widely acclaimed Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities (2015), The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer (2012), Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons (2013) and its sequel, Jedburgh Justice & Kentish Fire (2014). He has contributed to the Independent, the Guardian, the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Mental Floss and BBC Radio 4's The World at One, and he also runs @HaggardHawks, the hugely popular language-based Twitter account and YouTube channel. A piano teacher and musician, he lives in South Tyneside.

Details & Specs

Author: Paul Anthony Jones

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9781783964383

Publication Date: 13th June, 2019

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm

Availability: Available, usually dispatched within 4 days

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