What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original)

Elster, Charles Harrington

ISBN 10: 0156031973 / ISBN 13: 9780156031974

Verlag: Collins Reference, 2005

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers mon0000030919

Inhaltsangabe:

Are you so sure about “assure,” “ensure,” and “insure”? Can you determine whether a knob of butter is equivalent to a lump or a pat or a scosh? Can you say which word in the English language has the most definitions, or who put the H in Jesus H. Christ?

If you can’t, be assured that Charles Harrington Elster, author of several well-loved works on language, can—and does in his latest book, a delightfully designed compendium of the most common, interesting, and entertaining conundrums in our language. Drawing upon esoteric sources and his own inimitable expertise, Elster uses a lively question-and-answer format to cover a variety of topics—word and phrase origins, slang, style, usage, punctuation, and pronunciation. Every chapter features original brainteasers, challenging puzzles, and a trove of literary trivia.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor: CHARLES HARRINGTON ELSTER is a writer, broadcaster, and logophile-a lover of words. He is the author of several books, including The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations, Verbal Advantage, and There's a Word for It. He is also a guest contributor to the "On Language" column of the New York Times Magazine. He lives in San Diego.

Bibliografische Details

Titel: What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and ...
Verlag: Collins Reference
Erscheinungsdatum: 2005
Einband: paperback
Zustand: Good