Have you ever thought about the history behind many of the words we use today? Meanings change so much through time that words often have completely different meanings today to the meanings they had in the past. This book poses the question: what if the words we use now still meant what they meant in the past? It takes a less than reverent ramble through the byways and backwaters of English etymology to find answers to burning questions like: Why can men never be hysterical? How can saying your prayers give you the gift of the gab? Why can't you truly be another brick in the wall? Which fruit may have led to the conquest of Mexico? Would a bachelor choose a wife with eight legs or eighty decades? Who is the biggest cheat in history? Why should you beware of fire-breathing dragons when digging your garden? Why should north be south and south be north? Why would you give a plough to someone with a high fever? If you really want to find the answers to these questions and many more, then this is the book for you!
The book is set out in reference format with background notes on the history of English and how it relates to other languages in the same family. Over 900 words are presented and played with, each of them fascinating in its own right. You won't find another book of this kind anywhere else. Dip into it one word at a time, or blaze your own trail through it to build up a picture of how meanings change and morph over time, often out of all recognition. See if you can better the puns and quips, though you may well find that an easy task in many cases. Imagine yourself in the book's bizarre scenarios, where past meets present and long-lost meanings re-emerge. Use the content mercilessly in all kinds of social situations, demonstrating your wit, erudition and powers to amuse and entertain. But you'd better hurry before everyone else does the same before you and leaves you trailing in their wake. Above all, enjoy the sheer imagination and poetry inherent in the history of these words and the light that they throw on the lives and minds of our English-speaking forbears. You won't regret it!
As recommended by the QI Elves on Twitter: "If you like word origins, this looks quite interesting."
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