Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons
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Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons by Paul Anthony Jones
What do the following ten words all have in common - haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail? All fairly familiar and straightforward words, after a little digging into their histories it turns out that all of them derive from falconry: the adjective haggard described an adult falcon captured from the wild; mews were the enclosures hawks were kept in whilst moulting; codger is thought to come from 'cadger', the member of a hunting party who carried the birds' perches, and so on. This, essentially, is what Ten Words is all about - the book collects together hundreds of the most intriguing, surprising and little known histories and etymologies of a whole host of English words. From ancient place names to unusual languages, and obscure professions to military slang, this is a fascinating treasure trove of linguistic facts.
Paul Jones previously authored The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer, a book on the origins of British place names. He is a journalist, magazine publisher and is currently studying at the Royal School of Music.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781472108067 |
| ISBN 10 | 147210806X |
| Title | Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons |
| Author | Paul Anthony Jones |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Little, Brown Book Group |
| Year published | 2013-10-17 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |