Attribution
David Wilton ; illustrated by Ivan BrunettiPublication Details
BookOxford University Press2009Availability
LOCATION CALL # STATUS BROWSING (MAIN) PE1584 .W55 2009 AVAILABLE New Feature: Text this to your cellphone
View record in LOLA catalogDescription
In Word Myths, David Wilton debunks some of the most spectacularly wrong word histories in common usage, giving us the real stories behind many linguistic urban legends. The term “upset” (to defeat unexpectedly) does not date from the horse race when the heavily favored Man O’ War was beaten by a nag named Upset (Upset was the only horse ever to defeat Man O’ War, but the word predates the race by half a century). As Wilton quashes these word myths, he offers us the best of both worlds: not only do we learn the many wrong stories behind these words, we also learn why and how they were created–and what the real story is. (automatically summarized from Amazon.com)Subject
Notes
- This well-structured trawl through linguistic urban legends serves to set the etymological record straight. Using history, chronology and linguistics as primary tools, the author debunks the folklore surrounding everyday expressions, words and eponymous attributions, and provides solid alternative suggestions where no definitive answer can be found
ISBN
- 9780195375572
- 0195375572
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