Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins

Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins PDF Author: William Morris
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006015862X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 516

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Book Description
The Morrises, well-known lexicographers, published a dictionary of the same title in 1977, a revision of a three-volume work published between 1962 and 1971. This new revision, which provides histories of interesting words and phrases in the English language, is similar in concept to several books by John Ciardi. Like Ciardi's works, the etymologies and phrase origins are presented in a readable style, making them a joy to browse.

Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins

Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins PDF Author: William Morris
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006015862X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 516

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Morrises, well-known lexicographers, published a dictionary of the same title in 1977, a revision of a three-volume work published between 1962 and 1971. This new revision, which provides histories of interesting words and phrases in the English language, is similar in concept to several books by John Ciardi. Like Ciardi's works, the etymologies and phrase origins are presented in a readable style, making them a joy to browse.

The Word Detective

The Word Detective PDF Author: Evan Morris
Publisher: Plume Books
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description


Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage

Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage PDF Author: William Morris
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 682

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Book Description
Includes commentaries on the use and misuse of contemporary words and phrases.

A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases

A Dictionary of Confusable Phrases PDF Author: Yuri Dolgopolov
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786459956
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Covering over 10,000 idioms and collocations characterized by similarity in their wording or metaphorical idea which do not show corresponding similarity in their meanings, this dictionary presents a unique cross-section of the English language. Though it is designed specifically to assist readers in avoiding the use of inappropriate or erroneous phrases, the book can also be used as a regular phraseological dictionary providing definitions to individual idioms, cliches, and set expressions. Most phrases included in the dictionary are in active current use, making information about their meanings and usage essential to language learners at all levels of proficiency.

The Hidden History of Coined Words

The Hidden History of Coined Words PDF Author: Ralph Keyes
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190466766
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
"How do words get coined? That question is explored in Ralph Keyes's latest book, The Hidden History of Coined Words. Based on meticulous research, Keyes has determined that successful neologisms are as likely to be created by chance as by intention. A remarkable number of new words were coined whimsically, he's discovered, to taunt, even to prank. Knickers resulted from a hoax, big bang from an insult. Wisecracking produced software, crowdsource, and blog. More than a few neologisms weren't even coined intentionally: they resulted from happy accidents such as typos, mistranslations, and misheard words like bigly and buttonhole, or from an unintended coinage such as Isaac Asimov's robotics. Many of the word coiners Keyes writes about come from unlikely quarters. Neologizers (a Thomas Jefferson coinage) include not just learned scholars and literary lions but cartoonists, columnists, children's authors, and children as well. Wimp, Keyes tells us, originated with an early 20th century book series on The Wymps, goop from a series about The Goops, and nerd from a book by Dr. Seuss. Competing claims to have coined terms like gonzo, mojo, and booty call are assessed, as is epic battles fought between new word partisans, and those who think we have enough words already. A concluding chapter offers pointers on how to coin a word of one's own. Written in a reader-friendly manner, The Hidden History of Coined Words will appeal not just to word lovers but history buffs, trivia contesters, and anyone at all who is interested in a well-informed good read"--

The Prodigal Tongue

The Prodigal Tongue PDF Author: Lynne Murphy
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524704881
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
CHOSEN BY THE ECONOMIST AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR An American linguist teaching in England explores the sibling rivalry between British and American English “English accents are the sexiest.” “Americans have ruined the English language.” Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language. With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions: how Americans got from centre to center, why British accents are growing away from American ones, and what different things we mean when we say estate, frown, or middle class. Is anyone winning this war of the words? Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other?

Words

Words PDF Author: Dale D. Johnson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429982607
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Written by respected authorities in the fields of education and literacy studies, Words: The Foundation of Literacy is a groundbreaking book for teachers, administrators, and education students. Dale and Bonnie Johnson present a fresh, inspiring reminder of why studying language (from word origins to word structure) is such a vital first step in the development of students' vocabulary, literacy, writing skills, and overall ability to learn. At a time when high-stakes testing has squeezed substance from many curricula, Johnson and Johnson provide ways to enhance students' understanding, interest, and appreciation of language and all its subtleties. Words explores how meaning in language is created by the use and interrelationships of words, phrases, and sentences, their denotations, connotations, implications, and ambiguities. From birth, most children exhibit a natural interest in language: its sounds, nuances, and unpredictable qualities. It is important to sustain, stimulate, and recapture that natural interest in the classroom, and Words provides a multitude of creative and practical techniques for doing so.

Empires of the Word

Empires of the Word PDF Author: Nicholas Ostler
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0066210860
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Book Description
The story of the world in the last five thousand years is above all the story of its languages. Some shared language is what binds any community together and makes possible both the living of a common history and the telling of it. Yet the history of the world's great languages has been very little told. Empires of the Word, by the wide-ranging linguist Nicholas Ostler, is the first to bring together the tales in all their glorious variety: the amazing innovations in education, culture, and diplomacy devised by speakers of Sumerian and its successors in the Middle East, right up to the Arabic of the present day; the uncanny resilience of Chinese through twenty centuries of invasions; the charmed progress of Sanskrit from north India to Java and Japan; the engaging self-regard of Greek; the struggles that gave birth to the languages of modern Europe; and the global spread of English. Besides these epic ahievements, language failures are equally fascinating: Why did German get left behind? Why did Egyptian, which had survived foreign takeovers for three millennia, succumb to Mohammed's Arabic? Why is Dutch unknown in modern Indonesia, though the Netherlands had ruled the East Indies for as long as the British ruled India? As this book splendidly and authoritatively reveals, the language history of the world shows eloquently the real character of peoples; and, for all the recent tehnical mastery of English, nothing guarantees our language's long-term preeminence. The language future, like the language past, will be full of surprises.

Curious English Words and Phrases

Curious English Words and Phrases PDF Author: Max Cryer
Publisher: Exisle Publishing
ISBN: 1927187516
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Have you ever wondered where terms like 'end of your tether', 'gets my goat' or 'letting ones hair down' come from? Or why we call some people 'geezers', 'sugar daddies' or 'lounge lizards'? Or where the words 'eavesdropping', 'nickname' and 'D-Day' come from?They are just a few of the many words and phrases that language expert Max Cryer examines in this fact-filled and fun new book. Max explains where these curious expressions come from, what they mean and how they are used. Along the way he tells a host of colourful anecdotes and dispels quite a few myths Did Churchill originate the phrase 'black dog'? And if 'ivory tower' can be found in the Bible, why has its meaning changed so drastically?'Curious English Words and Phrases' is a treasure trove for lovers of language. Informative, amusing and value for money, this book is 'the real McCoy'. From 'couch potato' to 'Bob's your uncle', you'll find the explanation here!

Twentieth Century Words

Twentieth Century Words PDF Author: John Ayto
Publisher: OXFORD University Press
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 648

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Book Description
In Twentieth Century Words, lexicographer John Ayto takes us on an exhilarating tour of our century, charting it decade by decade by way of the words we've coined to mark our passage through time. Ayto looks at some 5,000 words and meanings, from "flapper" to "flower power" to "road rage." We learn the birth dates of words such as "movie" (1910s), "barbecue" (1930s), Beatlemania (1960s), and "foodie" (1980s). Ayto also treats us to many surprises as well. Did you know, for instance, that "atomic energy" was coined in the 1900s, "rocket ship" in the 1920s, "hologram" in the '40s, and "modem" in the '50s? And in addition to the main alphabetic sequence of entries, the book also offers boxed features on topics of special interest, such as words arising from World War II ("bazooka," "jeep," "bikini"). With a thoughtful essay to introduce each decade, and thousands of evocative words and phrases, Twentieth Century Words will enthrall all word lovers as it opens a unique window on the last one hundred years.