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The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language Paperback – 3 Nov. 2016
Mark Forsyth (Author) See search results for this author |
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Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless. Nick Duerden, Independent
Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky history William Leith, Evening Standard
The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?
Mark Forsyth s riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere
Highly recommended. Spectator
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherIcon Books Ltd
- Publication date3 Nov. 2016
- Dimensions12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
- ISBN-101785781707
- ISBN-13978-1785781704
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Review
I'm hooked on Forsyth's book - Crikey, but this is addictive. -- Mathew Parris, The Times
Kudos should go to Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon - Clearly a man who knows his onions, Mr Forsyth must have worked 19 to the dozen, spotting red herrings and unravelling inkhorn terms, to bestow this boon - a work of the first water, to coin a phrase. -- The Daily Telegraph
This year's must-have stocking filler - the angel on the top of the tree, the satsuma in the sock, the threepenny bit in the plum pudding, the essential addition to the library in the smallest room is Mark Forsyth's The Etymologicon. -- Ian Sansom, The Guardian
The stocking filler of the season. -- Robert McCrum, The Observer
Witty and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless. -- Nick Duerden, Independent
This witty book liberates etymology from the dusty pages of the dictionary and brings it alive. -- Good Book Guide
'The Etymologicon' contains fascinating facts -- Daily Mail
From Nazis and film buffs to heckling and humble pie, the obscure origins of commonly-used words and phrases are explained. -- Daily Telegraph
A collection of verbal curiosities ... fascinating. -- Spectator
A perfect bit of stocking filler for the bookish member of the family, or just a cracking all-year-round read. Highly recommended. -- Spectator
Light, entertaining and fascinating ... This is really one of those books where you have to fight hard to resist telling anyone in earshot little snippets every five minutes. -- Brian Clegg
An absolute gem ... a pleasure to read. -- Books Monthly
I want this book to be never-ending ... a real winner. -- Books Monthly
It makes for a very good read ... a perfect Christmas gift for anyone who might be interested in where our words come from. -- A Common Reader
I adored this book. I read and read and then I read some more until it was all gone. It was just my cup of tea, well presented, engaging, witty, wonderful. Full of usable facts and great anecdotes, it's one of the only 'history' books I've read this year that was anything other than dull as dishwater. Full marks. -- The Bookbag
Mark Forsyth, who blogs as 'The Inky Fool,' is an extreme and hugely entertaining practitioner. -- Financial Times
The subtitle ... 'A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language' ... is a misdescription. It is not a stroll; it is a plunge on a toboggan where the only way to stop is to fall off. -- Financial Times
About the Author
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Product details
- Publisher : Icon Books Ltd; UK ed. edition (3 Nov. 2016)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1785781707
- ISBN-13 : 978-1785781704
- Dimensions : 12.9 x 2 x 19.8 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 17,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 11 in Historical & Comparative Linguistics
- 337 in Languages
- 367 in Words, Language & Grammar
- Customer reviews:
About the author

Mark Forsyth is the author of several books on language, including, most recently, The Illustrated Etymologicon. He has also written books about drunkenness, Christmas traditions, and bookshops. He studied English at Oxford University, and lives in Clerkenwell, London.
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2021
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I wouldn't read this book all in one go because there is just so much information to take in. It is best consumed in chunks - at least that was my theory, but I found it almost impossible to put it down because I wanted to see his next link. This did mean that I read large sections and then couldn't really remember how things connected - but I did, very much, enjoy it when reading it.
You are not going to finish by knowing anything at all useful. You also won't know anything in depth - to do that you will have to read something more scholarly. What you do end up with is a very enjoyable read, wallowing in words and meanings and picking up little snippets of information about words, their meaning and their history as you go.
Reading it is like having the most interesting conversation you can imagine with one of the elves from the QI team (and in fact I think some of the content of the BBC show has been determined from reading this book). The origin of words, phrases and place names is something that has always fascinated me and so this book was a treat at every turn of the page.
Mark Forsyth is not only a learned etymologist he is also in possession of a very droll sense of humour and had this book been written by someone else it might not have been the amusing creation it is. Forsyth could perhaps make the driest of subjects fascinating, but given that I already possess a predilection for English the comic turns of his circular stroll through the concealed connections of the language simply represent icing on a cake already bursting with the tastiest of ingredients.
I am not going to waffle on about all the word origins he explains but if I remember half of what was in the book I will have improved my knowledge significantly in the act of reading The Etymologicon and have ammunition aplenty when I think a conversation may warrant a ‘did you know…’ In fact I have already regaled my friends with tales of the origins of buffs, slaves, soldiers, cheques, and the company name Shell by way of an endorsement of Forsyth’s books.
Of all the books I may have recommended this year, I think this is my recommendation of the year. I was given The Horologicon which will complete the ‘trilogy’ and I’ll let you know whether it is as good as the other two some time in the new year. I also received four Philip K Dick books and so as expected my bookshelves are positively bowing under the weight of all the reading I have to look forward to.