Dog Days and Dandelions A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words |
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| Author:
| Barnette, Martha |
| ISBN: | 978-0-312-28072-7 |
| Publication Date: | Feb 2003 |
| Publisher: | St. Martin's Press
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $22.95 |
Book Description:
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From apian (like a bee) to zodiac (little-animals circle), a word book that spots the animal origins of words and names There are mice in your
muscles, and blackbirds in your
merlot. Behind adulation is a dog's wagging tail.
Peculiar houses a herd of cattle.
Grubby is crawling with bugs. Wordhound Martha Barnette collects more than 300 common (and a few not-so-common) words that have surprising animal roots. Tracing...
More Description From apian (like a bee) to zodiac (little-animals circle), a word book that spots the animal origins of words and names
There are mice in your muscles, and blackbirds in your merlot. Behind adulation is a dog's wagging tail. Peculiar houses a herd of cattle. Grubby is crawling with bugs. Wordhound Martha Barnette collects more than 300 common (and a few not-so-common) words that have surprising animal roots. Tracing word origins back to ancient Greek and Latin as well as to European roots and American slang, the entries offer a guided tour through literature, science, folklore, politics, and more--with a wilderness of animal meanings at every turn.
For fledgling word sleuths as well as those who fawn over etymologies, this is a delightful smorgasbord for writers, students, and word lovers.