Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons - The Origins of English in Ten Words (Hardcover)

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.

General

Imprint:	Constable
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	October 2013
Authors:	Paul Anthony Jones
Dimensions:	140 x 205 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	288
ISBN-13:	978-1-4721-0806-7
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Language & linguistics > General Books > Sport & Leisure > Humour > General Promotions
LSN:	1-4721-0806-X
Barcode:	9781472108067

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