- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (Feb 12 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312280726
- ISBN-13: 978-0312280727
- Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14.6 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 336 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,543,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
"Animals lurk everywhere in our language," declares Barnette, the author of two previous books for word lovers, A Garden of Words and Ladyfingers and Nun’s Tummies. From origins that are immediately apparent (grubby refers to grubs, and lousy to lice), to others that might take a little thought (burrito means little donkey, vermicelli translates as little worms), all the way to influences only an etymologist would know (bombastic comes from the Old French bombace, meaning soft padding, which in turn came from bómbyx, the ancient Greek word for silkworm), Barnette offers a sprightly compendium of the animal kingdom’s impact on the king’s English. "There’s a little snake coiled inside the word rankle," "a ‘porker’ in porcelain" and "a pair of oxen trudging round and round, grinding grain for all eternity" in halo, she writes, and, unsurprisingly, "an oversize insect skittering about inside the word lobster." Arranged alphabetically, the 300-plus entries make for good browsing, and readers with a penchant for odd and underused words, such as myrmidon (an unprincipled lackey) and musteline (resembling a weasel) will find them aplenty here.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
According to Barnette, it's a jungle out there in the dog-eat-dog world of etymology. In this zoological tour of the beastly backgrounds behind common phrases such as swan song and rare words such as snollygoster, Barnette sheds new light on both everyday and esoteric language. Whether their roots can be traced back as far as ancient Greece or only to contemporary American slang, there's a bevy of words that owe their origin to our four-footed and fine-feathered friends. Some make perfect sense, such as lousy, an infestation of lice that is, of course, a perfectly lousy thing to endure. Others are more obscure, such as comedy, which harkens back to the Roman word for the distinctly unamusing maggot. Still other examples will forever alter the way one looks at things. Diners might be far less willing to slather butter on their toast if it were instead referred to in its original Greek as cow cheese. Barnette's etymological sleuthing, itself a word of animal derivation, is as educational as it is engrossing. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Barnette makes it easy,
By A Customer
Ce commentaire est de: Dog Days and Dandelions: A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)
I've looked through word origin books that were dry and hard to read, but Dog Days and Dandelions is a delight. There are stories to be told about where words come from; this author knows how to choose them and how to tell them.I visited amazon to find more of her books, but they are out of print. I hope either some of you readers will sell your used ones, or that more will be written or printed soon!
5.0 out of 5 stars
making words fun,
By Cupcakes "chocobits" (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Dog Days and Dandelions: A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)
I had no idea there were blackbirds in my merlot nor horses in all my jaded, hackneyed, tacky everyday observations. What a treat of a book! Of course, not that I was surprised...all Barnette's prior offerings-- the charming Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies and A Garden of Words--are a must-have for writers and readers alike. Anyone who loves words will adore this treasure of a book. I've already learned more than I did in college! And I've just ordered it for three of my friends. Highly recommended.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beastly fun,
By A Customer
Ce commentaire est de: Dog Days and Dandelions: A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words (Hardcover)
Martha Barnette is the best. Few others can enliven dry and obsure facts and information like she can - all her books about words should be required reading for anyone with any aspiration of becoming a writer. And she serves up way more than fodder for cocktail chatter. After reading her, you'll find yourself thinking differently about all the words around you.Check out her website... for a preview.
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