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
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