The Wonder of Whiffling

The Wonder of Whiffling PDF Author: Adam Jacot de Boinod
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141959274
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
The Wonder of Whiffling is a hugely enjoyable, surprising and rewarding tour of English around the globe (with fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere).Discover all sorts of words you've always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend one's money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell. Delving passionately into the English language, Adam Jacot de Boinod also discovers why it is you wouldn't want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

The Wonder of Whiffling

The Wonder of Whiffling PDF Author: Adam Jacot de Boinod
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141959274
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 157

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Wonder of Whiffling is a hugely enjoyable, surprising and rewarding tour of English around the globe (with fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere).Discover all sorts of words you've always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend one's money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell. Delving passionately into the English language, Adam Jacot de Boinod also discovers why it is you wouldn't want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

I Never Knew There Was a Word For It

I Never Knew There Was a Word For It PDF Author: Adam Jacot de Boinod
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141963530
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
From 'shotclog', a Yorkshire term for a companion only tolerated because he is paying for the drinks, to Albanian having 29 words to describe different kinds of eyebrows, the languages of the world are full of amazing, amusing and illuminating words and expressions that will improve absolutely everybody's quality of life. All they need is this book! This bumper volume gathers all three of Adam Jacot de Boinod's acclaimed books about language - The Wonder of Whiffling, The Meaning of Tingo and Toujours Tingo (their fans include everyone from Stephen Fry to Michael Palin) - into one highly entertaining, keenly priced compendium. As Mariella Frostup said 'You'll never be lost for words again!'

Babel's Dawn

Babel's Dawn PDF Author: Edmund Blair Bolles
Publisher: Catapult
ISBN: 1582438994
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
Babel's Dawn is a saga covering six million years. Like a walk through a natural history museum, Bolles demonstrates how members of the human lineage came to speak. Beginning with a scene of the last common ancestor ignoring a bird as it flies by, he guides us through generations, illuminating how it became possible for two Homo sapiens to not only acknowledge the songbird, but to also discuss the meaning of its song. Tracing the rise of voluntary vocalizations as well as the first word, phrases, and sentences, Bolles works against the common belief that the reason apes cannot speak is they are not smart enough. In this groundbreaking work, Bolles purposes that we now have substantial evidence that this age–old idea can no longer stand. With concrete portrayals of living individuals interwoven with evidence, data, and theory, Babel's Dawn is a powerful account of a great scientific revolution.

The Meaning of Tingo

The Meaning of Tingo PDF Author: Adam Jacot de Boinod
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101201290
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
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

Forgotten English

Forgotten English PDF Author: Jeffrey Kacirk
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0688166369
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Have you ever sent a message via scandaroon, needed a nimgimmer, or fallen victim to bowelhive? Never heard of these terms? That's because they are a thing of the past. These words are alive and well, however, in Forgotten English, a charming collection of hundreds of archaic words, their definitions, and old-fashioned line drawings. For readers of Bill Bryson, Henry Beard, and Richard Lederer, Forgotten English is an eye-opening trip down a delightful etymological path. Readers learn that an ale connor sat in a puddle of ale to judge its quality, that a beemaster informed bees of any important household events, and that our ancestors had a saint for hangover sufferers, St. Bibiana, a fact pertinent to the word bibulous. Each selection is accompanied by literary excerpts demonstrating the word's usage, from sources such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, and Benjamin Franklin. Entertaining as well as educational, Forgotten English is a fascinating addition to word lovers' books.

Angel at Troublesome Creek

Angel at Troublesome Creek PDF Author: Mignon F. Ballard
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0312241755
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description
A dead woman returns to life as guardian angel for Mary Murphy in order to sort her life. Mary is in a state, her fiancé dropped her for another woman, she lost her job, and her adoptive mother died in mysterious circumstances.

The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat PDF Author: Edward Lear
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd
ISBN: 1553378288
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
Edward Lear's beloved poem has charmed readers since it was first published in 1871. 4+ yrs.

The Comedy Quote Dictionary

The Comedy Quote Dictionary PDF Author: Ronald L. Smith
Publisher: Doubleday Books
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Presents a compilation of more than 2000 quips, quotes, jokes, and epigrams from contemporary comedians.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life PDF Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307420655
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
A memoir in bite-size chunks from the author of the viral Modern Love column “You May Want to Marry My Husband.” “[Rosenthal] shines her generous light of humanity on the seemingly humdrum moments of life and shows how delightfully precious they actually are.” —The Chicago Sun-Times How do you conjure a life? Give the truest account of what you saw, felt, learned, loved, strived for? For Amy Krouse Rosenthal, the surprising answer came in the form of an encyclopedia. In Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life she has ingeniously adapted this centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere—preferably at the beginning—and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways. An ordinary life, perhaps, but an extraordinary book.

Letters of Seamen in the Wars with France, 1793-1815

Letters of Seamen in the Wars with France, 1793-1815 PDF Author: Helen Watt (Archivist)
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
ISBN: 1843838966
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 690

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Book Description
Letters of seamen below the rank of commissioned officer which tell us a great deal about shipboard life and about seamen's attitudes.