The Insect That Stole Butter? by Julia Cresswell
Combining both accessibility and authority, The Insect That Stole Butter? describes the origins and development of over 3,000 words and phrases in the English language. The book draws on Oxford's unrivalled dictionary research programme and language monitoring, and relates the fascinating stories behind many of our most curious terms and expressions in order to offer the reader a much more explicit account than can be found in a general English dictionary. Organized A-Z, the entries include first known use along with examples that illustrate the many faces of the particular word or phrase, from 'handsome' to 'bachelor' and 'cute' to 'baby', from 'pagan' to 'palaver' and 'toff' to 'torpedo'. Also featured are almost 20 special panels that cover expressions common in English but drawn from other languages, such as 'coffee', 'sugar', and 'candy' from Arabic or 'booze', 'brandy', and 'gin' (Dutch). This absorbing volume is useful for language students and enthusiasts, but also an intriguing read for any person interested in the development of the English language and of language development in general. Includes an extended introduction on the history of the English language.
This Oxford dictionary of word origins will get a lot of use from a language-loving relativeSunday Times
Julia Cresswell is a writer and tutor specializing in the medieval world, mythology and the history of the English Language. She is the author of over a dozen books, and lives in Oxford where she tutors regularly for the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education and Stanford University's Oxford Center. The author lives in Oxford, UK.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780199547920 |
| ISBN 10 | 0199547920 |
| Title | The Insect That Stole Butter? |
| Author | Julia Cresswell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 2010-01-22 |
| Number of pages | 512 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |