Have you ever thought about the history behind many of the words we use today? Meanings change so much through time that words often have completely different meanings today to the meanings they had in the past. This book poses the question: what if the words we use now still meant what they meant in the past? It takes a less than reverent ramble through the byways and backwaters of English etymology to find answers to burning questions like: Why can men never be hysterical? How can saying your prayers give you the gift of the gab? Why can't you truly be another brick in the wall? Which fruit may have led to the conquest of Mexico? Would a bachelor choose a wife with eight legs or eighty decades? Who is the biggest cheat in history? Why should you beware of fire-breathing dragons when digging your garden? Why should north be south and south be north? Why would you give a plough to someone with a high fever? If you really want to find the answers to these questions and many more, then this is the book for you!