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Cover for The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

22 Ratings

4.2

Duration
7H 1min
Language
English
Format
Category

Non-Fiction

Do you know why…

…a mortgage is literally a death pledge? …why guns have girls’ names? …why salt is related to soldier?

You’re about to find out…

The Etymologicon (e-t?-‘mä-lä-ji-kän) is: *Witty (wi-te\): Full of clever humor *Erudite (er-?-dit): Showing knowledge *Ribald (ri-b?ld): Crude, offensive

The Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains: how you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers “money for salt”; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world (hint: Seattle) connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what precisely the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

© 2014 Ascent Audio (Audiobook): 9781469028811

Release date

Audiobook: 1 April 2014

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