What led to the expression ?let the cat out of the bag Why do we call blondes ?towheads For Pete's sake, what is a fangle? In this humorous and engaging collection of word origins and histories, the famed host of the ?Chrysti the Wordsmith? series (heard on Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, Montana State University's KGLT-FM, and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) shares the stories behind the words. This irresistible medley is a must for word lovers everywhere.

What led to the expression "let the cat out of the bag"? Why do we call blondes "towheads"? For Pete's sake, what is a fangle? In this humorous and engaging collection of word origins and histories, the famed host of the Chrysti the Wordsmith series (heard on Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, Montana State University's KGLT-FM, and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) shares the stories behind the words. This irresistible medley is a must for word lovers everywhere.

In this companion edition to her popular Verbivore's Feast, Chrysti the Wordsmith, host of the much-loved radio show of the same name, once again examines the evolution and history of the English language, using the odd expressions and cliches that pepper it. Exploring words such as lollygag and quack, and phrases ranging from break a leg to shake a stick and from Adam's apple to trip the light fantastic, Chrysti the Wordsmith uncovers the fascinating stories about their origins.

In this rollicking romp through the bountiful world of words (Minneapolis Star), the bestselling author of Crazy English and More Anguished English takes readers on a logoleptic thrill ride through the beauties and perplexities of the language, spiking the text with irresistible mind scramblers.

If carnivores consume meat and herbivores chomp plants, then anyone who makes a daily diet of words must be a verbivore. Readers who have devoured Lederer's Crazy English, The Play of Words, and The Miracle of Languagewill eagerly digest his latest delectable linguistic feast.

Science fiction featuring Hip and Zab, the heroes of X̀orandor'.

A smorgasbord of surprising, obscure, and exotic words In this delightful encore to the national bestseller A Word A Day, Anu Garg, the founder of the wildly popular A Word A Day Web site (wordsmith.org), presents an all-new collection of unusual, intriguing words and real-life anecdotes that will thrill writers, scholars, and word buffs everywhere. Another Word A Day celebrates the English language in all its quirkiness, grandeur, and fun, and features new chapters ranging from "Words Formed Erroneously" and "Red-Herring Words" to "Kangaroo Words," "Discover the Theme," and "What Does That Company Name Mean?" In them, you'll find a treasure trove of curious and compelling words, including agelast, dragoman, mittimus, nyctalopia, quacksalver, scission, tattersall, and zugzwang. Each entry includes a concise definition, etymology, and usage example, interspersed with illuminating quotations. Praise for a word a day "Anu Garg's many readers await their A Word A Day rations hungrily. Now at last here's a feast for them and other verbivores. Eat up!" --Barbara Wallraff, Senior Editor at The Atlantic Monthly and author of Word Court "AWADies will be familiar with Anu Garg's refreshing approach to words: words are fun and they have fascinating histories." --John Simpson, Chief Editor, Oxford English Dictionary