Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs
Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs

Author: Katherine Barber

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2007-04-24

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 1101201231

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A delightfully addictive compendium of fascinating word facts that does for the dictionary what Eats, Shoots, and Leaves did for the manual of style With the easy erudition and lively wit that have won her legions of fans, Canada's "Word Lady" reveals the entertaining histories behind 500 of the most common words and phrases in the English language. Who knew that "travel" is derived from an instrument of torture? That "tragedy" originally had something to do with goats? That "glamour" and "grammar" started out as the same word? Katherine Barber's captivating collection is organized by season, so readers can open to Valentine's Day to learn about the origins of "passion fruit" or flip to Thanksgiving to find out why there aren't any turkeys in Turkey. An irresistible blend of entertainment and enlightenment, this delightful book will captivate the word lover in all of us.

For Who the Bell Tolls
For Who the Bell Tolls

Author: David Marsh

Publisher: Guardian Faber Publishing

Published: 2013-10-03

Total Pages: 170

ISBN-13: 178335013X

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For Who the Bell Tolls is a book that explains the grammar that people really need to know, such as the fact that an apostrophe is the difference between a company that knows its s*** and a company that knows it's s***, or the importance of capital letters to avoid ambiguity in such sentences as 'I helped my Uncle Jack off his horse.' David Marsh's lifelong mission has been to create order out of chaos. For four decades, he has worked for newspapers, from the Sun to the Financial Times, from local weeklies that sold a few thousand copies to the Guardian, with its global readership of nine million, turning the sow's ear of rough-and-ready reportage into a passable imitation of a silk purse. The chaos might be sloppy syntax, a disregard for grammar or a fundamental misunderstanding of what grammar is. It could be an adherence to 'rules' that have no real basis and get in the way of fluent, unambiguous communication at the expense of ones that are actually useful. Clear, honest use of English has many enemies: politicians, business and marketing people, local authority and civil service jargonauts, rail companies, estate agents, academics . . . and some journalists. This is the book to help defeat them. 'A splendid and, more importantly, sane book on English grammar.' Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon

Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs
Six Words You Never Knew Had Something to Do with Pigs

Author: Katherine Barber

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780143038122

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A lively and enlightening look at the peculiarities of the English language looks at the colorful histories behind five hundred common words and phrases in the English language, all organized according to season, focusing on such terms as tragedy, glamour, grammar, and passion fruit. Original.

Canadian Who's Who 2008
Canadian Who's Who 2008

Author: Elizabeth Lumley

Publisher:

Published: 2008-01-05

Total Pages: 1464

ISBN-13: 9780802040718

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Now in its ninety-eighth year of publication, this standard Canadian reference source contains the most comprehensive and authoritative biographical information on notable living Canadians. Those listed are carefully selected because of the positions they hold in Canadian society, or because of the contribution they have made to life in Canada. The volume is updated annually to ensure accuracy, and 600 new entries are added each year to keep current with developing trends and issues in Canadian society. Included are outstanding Canadians from all walks of life: politics, media, academia, business, sports and the arts, from every area of human activity. Each entry details birth date and place, education, family, career history, memberships, creative works, honours and awards, and full addresses. Indispensable to researchers, students, media, business, government and schools, Canadian Who's Who is an invaluable source of general knowledge. The complete text of Canadian Who's Who is also available on CD-ROM, in a comprehensively indexed and fully searchable format. Search 'astronaut' or 'entrepreneur of the year,' 'aboriginal achievement award' and 'Order of Canada' and discover a wealth of information. Fast, easy and more accessible than ever, the Canadian Who's Who on CD-ROM is an essential addition to your electronic library.

The Meaning of Tingo
The Meaning of Tingo

Author: Adam Jacot de Boinod

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2007-02-27

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1101201290

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Did you know that in Hungary, pigs go rof-rof-rof, but in Japan they go boo boo boo? That there’s apparently the need in Bolivia for a word that means "I was rather too drunk last night but it was all their fault"? Adam Jacot de Boinod's book on extraordinary words from around the world will give you the definitions and phrases you need to make friends in every culture. A true writer's resource and the perfect gift for linguists, librarians, logophiles, and international jet-setters. While there’s no guarantee you’ll never pana po’o again (Hawaiian for "scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten"), or mingmu (Chinese for "die without regret"), at least you’ll know what tingo means, and that’s a start. “A book no well-stocked bookshelf, cistern top or handbag should be without. At last we know those Eskimo words for snow and how the Dutch render the sound of Rice Krispies. Adam Jacot de Boinod has produced an absolutely delicious little book: It goes Pif! Paf! Pouf! Cric! Crac! Croc! and Knisper! Knasper! Knusper! on every page.”—Stephen Fry