A guide to the science and process of etymology for the layperson explains how the origins and history of hundreds of words are determined, discussing such topi

Get ready to chew the fat. This engaging, humorous new book explains the not-so-common origins of such commonly used phrases as “apple-pie order,” “chew t

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that explore the origin, evolution, and social history of over three thousand English language words.

Whether one reads only newspapers or nothing more serious than a short story or a novel—whatever one reads one is constantly running up against an allusion to

THEREBY HANGS A TALE Stories of Curious Word Origins Charles Earle Funk, Litt. D. PERENNIAL LIBRARY Harper Row, Publishers New York, Cambridge, Philadelphia, Sa