Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Useless Etymology:
Useless, but fun!
Quick synopsis:
The wild and wonderful history of English words.
Fact for Non-History People:
“Hello” didn’t become a standard greeting until 1876.
Fact for History Nerds:
“Factoid” used to mean “fake news” basically. Now it means fun fact. Life is weird.
My Take on Useless Etymology:
Corgi means “dwarf dog” in Welsh. If you find that fun and interesting (you really should), then do I have a book for you! Useless Etymology by Jess Zafarris is probably useless only in the sense that it won’t save your life (probably). However, if you are looking to blow people’s minds (or at least make them roll their eyes) then this is a stupendous book.
Do you want to know what the #$%& a grawlix is? Well, I just told you.
Zafarris breaks down tons of common and amazingly esoteric words to tell you where they come from, what they meant, and what they mean now. She sprinkles in a few jokes and some sample sentences to keep things naughty (which used to mean something very different!).
I’m not going to belabor the point. If you like words, you will like this. Yes, it can get slightly repetitive if you zoom through like I did. Highly recommend taking this one a chapter at a time to maximize your amazement.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by NetGalley and John Murray Press.)
Verdict:
Super fun! Buy it here!
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