The Etymologicon

A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language

By: Mark Forsyth

Narrated by: Don Hagen

Do you know why…

a mortgage is literally a death pledge? …why guns have girls’ names? …why salt is related to soldier?

You’re about to find out…

The Etymologicon (e-t?-‘mä-lä-ji-kän) is:

*Witty (wi-te\): Full of clever humor

*Erudite (er-?-dit): Showing knowledge

*Ribald (ri-b?ld): Crude, offensive

The Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains: How you get from “gruntled” to “disgruntled”; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers “money for salt”; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world (hint: Seattle) connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what precisely the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2012 Mark Forsyth (P)2014 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

“The stocking filler of the season...how else to describe a book that explains the connection between Dom Perignon and Mein Kampf.” ( The Observer)

“Crikey...this is addictive!” ( The Times)

circular indeed!

Any additional comments?

Note, the author admits to being a circuitous thinker/speaker, so this book is told almost as if the listener is on a roller coaster. It never stops moving! I loved it! Not only is the telling different, but the data is fascinating! Ive got so much word trivia now, Im guaranteed to be ushered out of the next party! I think I had an idiotic smile on my face the whole time I was listening. I know I laughed out loud about the SPAM/spam...Monty Python...email part.......

Simply delightful

This is a delightful book. It is well written, with obviously excellent grammar and punctuation...! And flowed from one term to another with ease. The narrator was easy to listen to, and I enjoyed his humorous tone. I will listen to it in the future many times I think.

Packed full of interesting facts

The author takes the definition of one word, in this case 'book' and runs with it and sees where it takes him.

This is one of those books perfect for reading for 15 minutes and then putting down. Indeed, I'd nearly recommend you to consume it in small chunks as you are bombarded with a lot of information very quickly, so listening for too mong becomes overwhelming.

There are lots of interesting facts in the book. It is also quite humorous, though at times some of the humour seems a bit forced and perhaps unnecessary.

Still, if you enjoy the English language then you'll enjoy this book.

10/10 will always recommend

Excellent listen through and through. I have and will recommend this book to everyone I know In life.

Delightful.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook very much and will likely listen to again. It made my little linguaphile heart happy.