"The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story - a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking." "Professor James Murray, an astonishingly...

Alphabetically arranged entries trace the origins of hundreds of unusual words and expressions

A brash, enlightening, and wildly entertaining feminist look at gendered language and the way it shapes us.

"How more than 400 colorful and familiar expressions originated and developed"--Cover subtitle.

Selects one hundred words for anyone who wishes to become a more compelling communicator, including a variety of words, phrases, and expressions, along with clear definitions, etymologies, quotations, and usage examples.

1,000 food-related terms and expressions, ranging from old chestnut to red herring to fruitcake to couch potato. What has "ham" to do with overacting? Why does "nut" stand for a man's head and his gonads? Why do we say "Holy mackerel?" Quotations abound, from 4000 B.C. to the present. This book is addressed to foodies and word lovers.

Describes the history of the origins of over 500 words and phrases used in the English language.

A reader's handbook of word origins.