The Secret Life of the English Language, 9780753824177
Paperback
Unlock the secrets and bizarre delights hidden within the English language.

The Secret Life of the English Language

Buttering Parsnips and Twocking Chavs

$20.92

  • Paperback

    272 pages

  • Release Date

    31 October 2008

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Summary

Our language is one of delight and curiosity. BUTTERING PARSNIPS, TWOCKING CHAVS is a guided tour of English, exploring the origins of words, their changing meaning, lexical peculiarities, word games and lost words, presented in lists, small passages of narrative text, amusing quotations and nuggets of amazing facts.

This must-have compendium shows that words have a matchless power to entertain. Here you will find enough new words and phrases to last a lifetime. Idioms frolic beside c…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780753824177
ISBN-10:0753824175
Author:Martin H. Manser, David Pickering
Publisher:Orion Publishing Co
Imprint:Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:272
Release Date:31 October 2008
Weight:258g
Dimensions:200mm x 162mm x 22mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

[a] tasty gallimaufry of linguistic oddities

[a] tasty gallimaufry of linguistic oddities - INDEPENDENT

an entertaining compendium showing, above all else, that words have a matchless power to entertain - HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER

About The Author

Martin H. Manser

David Pickering is an experienced reference book compiler, freelance since 1992. He has contributed (often as sole author or chief editor) to around 200 books in the fields of general reference, English language, the arts, history and popular interest. He has also broadcast many times on a variety of subjects on radio and television. He lives in Buckingham with his wife and two sons.

Martin H. Manser has been a professional reference book editor since 1980. He has compiled or edited more than 150 reference books, particularly English-language dictionaries, thesauruses and Bible reference titles. He is also a language trainer and consultant with national companies and organisations. He and his wife live in Aylesbury and have a son and a daughter.

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