The Secret Lives of WordsHarcourt, 2000 - 296 páginas We are often unaware of the unique and intriguing stories of the words we love. Thousands of our words have been so twisted, tangled, misused, and muddled over the centuries that their original meaning has been obscured. You'll be surprised to learn that table napkins were once made of and referred to as asbestos, that atom means uncuttable, that a cloud was once a hill, and that a companion is one who eats bread with you. Compiled over the years in his handwritten notebooks, acclaimed prose stylist Paul West offers us an album of treasures. The Secret Lives of Words is an "Antiques Road Show" of language, in which West chronicles the centuries-long travels of words across continents and through cultures. For word enthusiasts, speakers, writers, thinkers, and all readers, this volume recounting the intimate ancestry of language will enrich our understanding of and appreciation for the words we use every day. |
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Página 98
... fact , from Vulgar Latin via French the word means to take off your cape or cloak . Escaper . Somewhere , in the swirl of usage , there's a hunch that clothing , even the loveliest of capes , is a hindrance to - well , one can guess ...
... fact , from Vulgar Latin via French the word means to take off your cape or cloak . Escaper . Somewhere , in the swirl of usage , there's a hunch that clothing , even the loveliest of capes , is a hindrance to - well , one can guess ...
Página 255
... fact . To a pool player , spin is English ( they invented it ) , but it has nothing to do with a pitcher's curve ball ( whose physics turn out to be quite differ- ent , having to do with air pressure and humidity and pitch- ing stance ) ...
... fact . To a pool player , spin is English ( they invented it ) , but it has nothing to do with a pitcher's curve ball ( whose physics turn out to be quite differ- ent , having to do with air pressure and humidity and pitch- ing stance ) ...
Página 276
... fact , uggligr , ugr , and ugga are Old Norse , source of our own less deterring words for fear and fearsome . The word first meant hideous or horrible , certainly in the thirteenth century ; by the next century it had acquired the ...
... fact , uggligr , ugr , and ugga are Old Norse , source of our own less deterring words for fear and fearsome . The word first meant hideous or horrible , certainly in the thirteenth century ; by the next century it had acquired the ...
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Términos y frases comunes
actually American appear asked ball became become begin bread British called century changes close comes common course cricket denote deriving dictionaries doubt early English especially etymology expression fact feel fiction fire force French German gerund give goes Greek hand hard head hear heard human idea Indo-European Italy keep kind known language late Latin least less letters LIVES OF WORDS look lost meaning meant Middle mind never noun Old English Old French once origin past PAUL WEST perhaps person phrase piece play poet reference Romans SECRET LIVES seems sense slang someone sometimes sound speech suggests sure term thing thought tion trying turn universe verb whereas woman wonder word's write
Referencias a este libro
Dubious Doublets: A Delightful Compendium of Unlikely Word Pairs of Common ... Stewart Edelstein Vista de fragmentos - 2003 |