商品簡介
In polite society, should one chunder from the poop deck? When did "harlot" get a sex change? Is writing "hairbrained" harebrained? Quinion, expert on new words and host of the word origin web site for the Oxford English Dictionary, lets the cat out of the bag by answering these and other questions about some truly odd bits of language. Quinion is unique in that he is honest. He freely admits we may never know the true origin of the word "jazz," and gives logical reasons why some folklore about word origins should be reserved for midnight recitations at crossroads during wart-curing rituals. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
作者簡介
Michael Quinion hosts and writes the World Wide Words Web site and is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionairy.
