Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons : The Origins of English in Ten Words

Cover; Title; Copyright; Acknowledgements; Contents; Introduction; I Ten Words Derived from Places in Britain; II Ten Words Derived from Places in France; III Ten Words Derived from Places in Ancient Greece; IV Ten Words Derived from Places in Europe; V Ten Words Derived from Places in America; VI Ten British Words Not Used in American English; VII Ten Words Borrowed from Unusual Languages; VIII Ten Words Invented by Shakespeare; IX Ten Words Invented by Other Writers; X Ten Words Derived from 'Head'; XI Ten Words Derived from 'Heart'; XII Ten Words Derived from 'Hand';What do the following ten words all have in common - haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail? All fairly familiar and straightforward words, after a little digging into their histories it turns out that all of them derive from falconry: the adjective haggard described an adult falcon captured from the wild; mews were the enclosures hawks were kept in whilst moulting; codger is thought to come from 'cadger', the member of a hunting party who carried the birds' perches, and so on. This, essentially, is what Ten Words is all about. What do the following ten words all have in common - haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail? All fairly familiar and straightforward words, after a little digging into their histories it turns out that all of them derive from falconry: the adjective haggard described an adult falcon captured from the wild; mews were the enclosures hawks were kept in whilst moulting; codger is thought to come from 'cadger', the member of a hunting party who carried the birds' perches, and so on. This, essentially, is what Ten Words is all about - the book collects together hundreds of the most intriguing, surprising and little known histories and etymologies of a whole host of English words. From ancient place names to unusual languages, and obscure professions to military slang, this is a fascinating treasure trove of linguistic facts. ** Review One of The Guardian 's Best Language Books, 2013 "A decadal triumph!" - The Good Book Guide "For anyone interested in words and in the English language, this is a joy." - Writing Magazine "A fascinating treasure trove of linguistic facts" - lovereading.co.uk "A really lovely book" - Susie Dent "Amuse your friends with games like this: From what are the following ten words derived: ad-lib, bazooka, downbeat, finale, gamut, hydraulic, melodrama, keynote, segue, telephone?" - Times Literary Supplement About the Author Paul Anthony Jones previously authored The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer , a book on the origins of British place names. He is a writer, author, Huffington Post blogger and musician. Arts & Disciplines,Humanities,Humour,Language,Linguistics,Non-Fiction An intriguing etymological tour through British history, cataloguing the varied roots of the English language. Meanings and origins of 50 lists of 10 words, each group of 10 having something in common