The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

Forsyth, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848314531 ISBN 13: 9781848314535

Publisher: Icon Books, 2012

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER.
'Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent.

'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith, Evening Standard.

The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.

What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?

Mark Forsyth's riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.

'Highly recommended' Spectator.

Review:

'I'm hooked on Forsyth's book - Crikey, but this is addictive.' -- Mathew Parris, The Times

'Kudos should go to Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon - Clearly a man who knows his onions, Mr Forsyth must have worked 19 to the dozen, spotting red herrings and unravelling inkhorn terms, to bestow this boon - a work of the first water, to coin a phrase.', Daily Telegraph

'This year's must-have stocking filler - the angel on the top of the tree, the satsuma in the sock, the threepenny bit in the plum pudding, the essential addition to the library in the smallest room is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon.' -- Ian Sansom, Guardian

'This witty book liberates etymology from the dusty pages of the dictionary and brings it alive.' -- Good Book Guide

''The Etymologicon' contains fascinating facts', Daily Mail

'One of the books of the year. It is too enjoyable for words.' -- Henry Coningsby, Waterstones Watford

'From Nazis and film buffs to heckling and humble pie, the obscure origins of commonly-used words and phrases are explained.' -- Daily Telegraph

‘The stocking filler of the season.’ -- Robert McCrum, Observer

'A collection of verbal curiosities ... fascinating.’ -- Spectator

‘A perfect bit of stocking filler for the bookish member of the family, or just a cracking all-year-round-read. Highly recommended.’ -- Spectator

From the Author:

Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist and blogger. Every job he's ever had, whether as a ghost-writer or proof-reader or copy-writer, has been to do with words. He started The Inky Fool blog in 2009 and now writes a post almost every day. The blog has received worldwide attention and enjoys an average of 4,000 hits per week.