The following is a modified excerpt from the book Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds. The word "conundrum' first appears in English in the late 16th century, supposedly at Oxford University, where it was used as an insult for an overly pedantic or studious person, which suggests it might be mock-Latin, perhaps poking fun… Continue reading Puzzling Out the Etymology of Conundrum
I'm delighted to announce the impending arrival of my third etymology book, Useless Etymology: Offbeat Word Origins for Curious Minds, featuring quirky, charming, and humorous word origin stories for lovers of all things lexical. This lovely little blue book, published by Hachette's John Murray Press, will be released in hardcover on Oct. 7 in the… Continue reading Useless Etymology (the Book!) Hits Shelves Oct. 7
The following is excerpted and abbreviated from the book Words from Hell: Unearthing the Darkest Secrets of English Etymology. English is a great language for verbal evisceration, a practice predicated upon a long history of creativity in this arena. Poetry, theater, novels, and, of course, politics have made rich, recurring and visionary use of put-downs,… Continue reading Insulting Etymology + Savage Insults from History
Useless Etymology 