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The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities

A Yearbook of Forgotten Words

Published by Elliott & Thompson
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

Open the Cabinet to leap back in time, learn about linguistic trivia, follow a curious thread or wonder at the web of connections in the English language.

1 January quaaltagh (n.) the first person you meet on New Year's Day
1 April dorbellist (n.) a fool, a dull-witted dolt 12 May word-grubber (n.) someone who uses obscure or difficult words in everyday conversation
25 Septembertheic (adj.) an excessive drinker of tea
24 Decemberdoniferous (adj.) carrying a gift

Paul Anthony Jones has unearthed a wealth of strange and forgotten words: illuminating some aspect of the day, or simply telling a cracking good yarn, each reveals a story. Written with a light touch that belies the depth of research it contains, this is both a fascinating compendium of etymology and a captivating historical miscellany. Dip into this beautiful book to be delighted and intrigued throughout the year.

“Cracking open its beautifully crafted cover is like peeking into an old, mysterious cabinet … The book’s conceit is brilliant, the writing is crisp, and the tales are well-chosen and captivating” – Mashed Radish

About The Author

Paul Anthony Jones is something of a linguistic phenomenon. He runs the popular @HaggardHawks Twitter feed, blog and YouTube channel, revealing daily word facts to 60,000 engaged followers. His books include: Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities (E&T, 2015), The Accidental Dictionary (E&T, 2016), The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities (E&T, 2017), Around the World in 80 Words (E&T, 2018), as well as several other books on trivia and language. He appears regularly in the media and has contributed to the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries online. He is also a piano teacher and musician, and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Elliott & Thompson (September 1, 2019)
  • Length: 384 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781783964390

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