John Ayto

The average English speaker knows 50,000 words in contemporary use - 25 more words than there are stars in the night sky visible to the naked eye. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality a much smaller number of words from Latin, French and the Germanic languages. It is estimated that every year, 800 neologisms are added to the English language: acronyms - 'yuppie', blended words - 'motel', and those taken from foreign languages - 'savoir-faire'. The Bloomsbury Dictionary of Word Origins provides a concise history of over 8,000 of the most commonly used words.… (plus d'informations)

Did you know that 'flavour of the month' originated in a marketing campaign in American ice-cream parlours in the 1940s, when a particular flavour would be specially promoted for a month at a time? And did you know that 'off the cuff' refers to the rather messy practice of writing impromptu notes on one's shirt cuff before speaking in public? These and many more idioms are explained and put into context in this third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms.

The volume takes a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that make English the rich and intriguing language that it is. This major new edition contains entries for over 6,000 idioms, including 700 entirely new entries, based on Oxford's language monitoring and the ongoing third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. These include a range of recently established idioms such as 'the elephant in the corner', 'go figure', 'like a rat up a drainpipe', 'sex on legs', 'step up to the plate', 'too posh to push', 'a walk in the park', 'win ugly'. This edition also features a greatly increased number of cross-references, making it ideal for quick reference.

Many entries include additional features which give more detailed background on the idiom in question. For example, did you know that 'taken aback' was adopted from nautical terminology that described a ship unable to move forward because of a strong headwind pressing its sails back against the mast?

Anyone interested in the colourful side of the English language will get hours of fun browsing from this fascinating and informative volume.

Segnalato da Alice Gerratana… (plus d'informations)

Questo, a differenza del dizionario Oxford, è un vero bedside book. Mentre il dizionario si limita a dire che divan viene dal persiano per “tribunale” e dall’arabo per “corte reale”, “tribunale” e “consiglio di stato”, Ayto spiega che viene dalla parola persiano per “piccolo libro”, che è poi diventato “libro dei conti”, poi “ufficio contabile”. Da qui il significato si è esteso a vari uffici, come il tribunale e quello delle tasse e, infine, persino al consiglio di stato della Persia. Qui veniva usata per indicare non più il locale, bensì i banchi lungo le pareti sui quali si sedevano i membri del consiglio. La parola è passata all’arabo e al turco per poi approdare in Europa, dove è rimasta sia nel senso di lunga sedia (divano), sia di ufficio delle tasse (dogana, douane). In inglese è arrivata solo il senso di “divano”. Ecco come il “libricino” di Isfahan è diventato il “sofà” di Manhattan. Questo è il contenuto di uno solo degli 8000 articoli, alcuni veramente affascinanti. Puoi sapere da dove viene “bed-” (imparentata con “fossa”, tra l’altro) “side” (originariamente significava “lungo”, non “corto”), e “book” (da “beech”, faggio). Poi tutti a nanna…
Segnalato da Simon Turner… (plus d'informations)