Once upon a Word: True Tales of Word Origins

Rating:
Summary: Lots and Lots and Lots to know.....
Review: I learned quite a bit and I laughed - guffawed perhaps - even more as I experienced this volume by Rob Kyff, also known as "The Word Guy". From the very opening pages (where we learn why blondes are tow-heads....from the explanation I wonder why they weren't called "Flax Heads" Ah, well.

What really got me going with this book, though, is Kyff's suggestion that the reader consider reading the book as "entering a room filled with intriguing people." As a word lover, this is a concept I can completely understand: after all, aren't words purely intriguing people?

I sat in my seat, nodding in surprise to find "winging it" was not in the same vein as literally "flying by the seat of my pants" instead it comes from a stage and performance root - unprepared actors would have someone in the wings prompting them with their lines. Laziness lead to "winging it" because there was no other preparation.

I can somehow picture a cow with aching feet when I learned "tender foot" actually comes from importing cattle who didn't fare too well on the "rough" colonial terrain... that is until they got used to it.

Wow your friends and romance your word loving spirit through this engaging and mind stretching volume.