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Interesting Stories about Curious Words
From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings
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Check link for latest rating. ( 351 ratings, 42 reviews)
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
A literary treasure-trove packed with amazing words, jaw-dropping stories and unforgettable etymologies from Countdown's Queen of Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, on a curious and exceedingly interesting adventure through all the very best red herrings, cock and bull stories and nine-day wonders in the English language.
Who was SWEET FANNY ADAMS?
What's the dramatic true story behind STEALING THUNDER?
Why is it CHANCING YOUR ARM when you take a risk?
What do bears have to do with LICKING INTO SHAPE?
Or robbers with PULLING SOMEONE'S LEG?
Why are CIRCLES VICIOUS?
And, what's so bad about a WHITE ELEPHANT?
'Nobody on earth knows more about the English language than Susie Dent' - Gyles Brandreth
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Susie Dent's book is praised for its engaging and lively exploration of words, bringing a playful spirit to the topic. Fans find Susie Dent to be a unique figure who brings warmth to the understanding of language, and readers will find themselves delightfully immersed in the stories behind words.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781399811675
Publisher: John Murray Press
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 28 September 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd
Illustration: Quarter page B&W illustrations for all chapter headings
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 36.0mm
Width: 138.0mm
Height: 220.0mm
Weight: 540g
Pages: 432
Collections
About the Author
Susie Dent is the resident word expert in Dictionary Corner on C4's Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and has been on every programme about words: 15 x 15, Word of Mouth, and More or Less. Susie also writes regularly for the Radio Times, The Week Junior and The I, and her Word of the Day has attracted over 1,000,000 followers on Twitter.
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Interesting Stories about Curious Words
Join Susie Dent, lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, on a curious and exceedingly interesting adventure through all the very best RED HERRINGS, COCK AND BULL STORIES and NINE-DAY WONDERS in the English language. Who was SWEET FANNY ADAMS? What's the dramatic true story behind STEALING THUNDER? Why is it CHANCING YOUR ARM when you take a risk?...Paperback$2499Elsewhere:$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Guilty by Definition
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Words for Life
Whatever you need, Susie Dent has a word for it. Do you know the name for someone who loves reading in bed, or what a binfluencer does? How about the medieval invention of Lubberland as a place for lazy teenagers, or the story of Mayday as a request for help? Lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent...Paperback$3399Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
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Word Perfect
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This is, in fact, not what you were looking for; but it's much more interesting. — Terry Pratchett Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Nowhere else could the histories of the guillotine and Guinness stout...Hardback$12000Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
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Did you know that a soldier's biggest social blunder is called jack brew—making yourself a cuppa without making one for anyone else? That twitchers have an expression for a bird that can't be identified—LBJ (the letters stand for Little Brown Job)? Or that builders call plastering the ceiling doing Lionel Richie's dancefloor? Susie Dent does. Ever wondered why football managers...PaperbackSold Out -
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