What's in a Name?: How Proper Names Became Everyday Words Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

What's in a Name?: How Proper Names Became Everyday Words Book

Venn diagram, Möbius strip, and Achilles' heel are all phrases that clearly derive from the names of the persons who described, discovered, or inspired them. But a lot of English words one would never know had originated in proper names. So knowing, however, enriches one's understanding of the word, whether the person behind it is real or imagined, historical or literary, a scientist or a mythical figure. The next time you see a maverick (Samuel Augustus Maverick, Texas cattle rancher) epicure (Epicurus, Greek philosopher) whisk up a tantalizing béchamel sauce (Marquis de Béchamel), don't hector (Trojan hero) him about his sideburns (Union general Ambrose Everett Burnside) or his cardigan (James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of). Just grab a sandwich (also Earl of), your favorite teddy bear (President T. Roosevelt), and a copy of Eugene Ehrlich's wonderfully entertaining What's in a Name, for a laze under the bougainvillea (Louis Antoine de Bougainville). No Baedeker (German publisher) can recommend an afternoon better spent. --Jane Steinberg Read More

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  • Product Description

    A fun and informative guide to the how and why of proper names and their haphazard entry into common English language by the author of the bestselling Amo, Amas, Amat and More.

    Mining the English language to turn up a colorful cast of characters, Eugene Ehrlich finds the historic and literary figures who have given their names to the English language in the interest of keeping it vibrant and their names alive. In What's in a Name? Ehrlich traces the history of words and their progenitors, illuminating the legacy of Louis Braille, inventor of the system of embossed printing for the blind; the verbal acrobatics of Baron Munchausen; the sadism of the Marquis de Sade; and much more. What's in a Name? will amuse and enlighten word buffs, history lovers, and trivia pursuers alike as Ehrlich, in his inimitable way, uncovers an exhaustive assemblage of characters who have left an indelible mark on the English language.

  • 0805059431
  • 9780805059434
  • Eugene Ehrlich
  • 1 April 2000
  • Owl Books (NY)
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 256
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