The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities: A Yearbook of Forgotten Words

(Paperback, 2nd New edition)

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Description

Open the Cabinet to leap back in time, learn about linguistic trivia, follow a curious thread or wonder at the web of connections in the English language.

1 January quaaltagh (n.) the first person you meet on New Year's Day
1 April dorbellist (n.) a fool, a dull-witted dolt 12 May word-grubber (n.) someone who uses obscure or difficult words in everyday conversation
25 Septembertheic (adj.) an excessive drinker of tea
24 Decemberdoniferous (adj.) carrying a gift

Paul Anthony Jones has unearthed a wealth of strange and forgotten words: illuminating some aspect of the day, or simply telling a cracking good yarn, each reveals a story. Written with a light touch that belies the depth of research it contains, this is both a fascinating compendium of etymology and a captivating historical miscellany. Dip into this beautiful book to be delighted and intrigued throughout the year.

Cracking open its beautifully crafted cover is like peeking into an old, mysterious cabinet The books conceit is brilliant, the writing is crisp, and the tales are well-chosen and captivating Mashed Radish

Reviews

"A treasure-trove of rare words ... beautifully designed (that shade of blue is wonderful), and perfect either for dipping into every morning to learn a new word of the day, or for reading at a rather more headlong pace, as I found I was doing once I dipped my head into this wonderful cabinet of language trivia" -- Dr Oliver Tearle, InterestingLiterature.com; "Cracking open its beautifully crafted aged-teal and gilded cover is like peeking into an old, mysterious cabinet ... The book's conceit is brilliant, the writing is crisp, and the tales are well-chosen and captivating. Jones never loses sight of the charm-the magic-of strange and forgotten words ... Whether you read through the book day by day or, if you're like me and you can't help yourself, rummaging around the cabinet regardless of the calendar, The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities will surely transport you to another time" -- Mashed Radish; "Delightful ... a fun book" -- Sarah's Vignettes; "This is a cabinet full of precious treasure, an etymological gold mine ... Not only is this a book for those that love all things about the English language, Paul Anthony Jones has written a book for the general reader too ... Very readable and can be dipped into as and when you want to" -- Half Man, Half Book; "I'm absolutely adoring this book and think it would make a fantastic gift for any reader or writer" -- Linda's Bookbag; "A treasure trove ... a word of the day, a history lesson, and a fascinating fact book that would be the PERFECT gift for that person who is so difficult to buy for ... I can't foresee a day going by when I won't open this fascinating book" -- 5 STAR review, The Book Magnet; "Fascinating and I think you will agree that it is beautiful. I sat around our table with my husband and two teenage children, flicking through this wonderful book and in between laughing we were very impressed with the history behind each word. I will be purchasing a few copies for Christmas presents this year. It's just brilliant!" -- Chat About Books; "This book has a stunningly beautiful cover and you'll find a real treasure trove of delights inside. As someone who is fascinated by words and where they come from, this was the perfect book for me to dip in and out of" -- Portobello Book Blog; "I would thoroughly recommend this book ... A great Christmas present ... The cover is exceptionally beautiful. It needs to be seen to be fully appreciated, as do each and every one of the entries in this awesome book. I think it's safe to say that this is a book that I will be returning to regularly throughout the year and perhaps be appearing on my top books of 2017" -- The Quiet Knitter; "I started reading these delightful daily doses of etymology last week, and plan to keep the book at my bedside for the whole of the year to come" - Bookish Beck; "The perfect book to dip in and out of" -- Short Book & Scribes; "There's something about words which soothes my soul and to have chance to take a look at words which have fallen out of common use and yet, when seen, still make the utmost sense, I am reminded of those people who have gone before and of the rich contribution they have made to our vocabulary ... Amongst the strange and forgotten words there are some real beauties to be discovered. Some made me smile, others made me nod my head in sage agreement, whilst others made me realise just how beautiful is our language" -- jaffareadstoo.blogspot.co.uk

Author Bio

Paul Anthony Jones is something of a linguistic phenomenon. He runs the popular @HaggardHawks Twitter feed, blog and YouTube channel, revealing daily word facts to 60,000 engaged followers. His books include: Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities (E&T, 2015), The Accidental Dictionary (E&T, 2016), The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities (E&T, 2017), Around the World in 80 Words (E&T, 2018), as well as several other books on trivia and language. He appears regularly in the media and has contributed to the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries online. He is also a piano teacher and musician, and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.