Port Out Starboard Home

Author : Michael Quinion
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 312 pages
Book Rating : 4.13/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Port Out, Starboard Home written by Michael Quinion and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is the true origin of the phrase 'one fell swoop'? Does the word 'honeymoon' really derive from an old Persian custom of giving the happy couple mead, a honey wine, for the first month after the wedding? The rapid growth of the internet and the use of email has increased the circulation of (usually) false tales about the evolution of language. In this entertaining and fascinating new book on the origins of words and expressions, Michael Quinion retells the mythic tales that have become popular currency - the word 'posh' deriving from 'port out, starboard home' - and also tries to find and explain the true stories behind the origins of phrases. Quinion offers explanations of why and how stories about words are created, and how misunderstanding word origins - while usually harmless - can have serious consequences.

Author : Michael Quinion
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 014195969X
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.96/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Why is Q Always Followed by U? written by Michael Quinion and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2009-07-02 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long-time word-detective and bestselling author of Port Out, Starboard Home, Michael Quinion brings us the answers to nearly two hundred of the most intriguing questions he's been asked about language over the years. Sent to him by enquiring readers from all around the globe, Michael's answers about the meanings and histories behind the quirky phrases, slang and language that we all use are set to delight, amuse and enlighten even the most hardened word-obsessive. Did you know that 'Blighty' comes from an ancient Arabic word? Or that Liberace cried his way to the bank so many times people think he came up with the phrase? That 'cloud nine' started out as 'cloud seven' in the speakeasies of '30s America? And that the first person to have their thunder stolen was a dismal playwright from Drury Lane? Michael Quinion's Why is Q Always Followed By U? is full of surprising discoveries, entertaining quotations and memorable information. There are plenty of colourful stories out there, but Michael Quinion will help you discover the truth that lies behind the cock-and-bull stories and make sure you're always linguistically on the ball.

Author : David Wilton
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199740836
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.33/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Word Myths written by David Wilton and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-11-06 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you "know" that posh comes from an acronym meaning "port out, starboard home"? That "the whole nine yards" comes from (pick one) the length of a WWII gunner's belt; the amount of fabric needed to make a kilt; a sarcastic football expression? That Chicago is called "The Windy City" because of the bloviating habits of its politicians, and not the breeze off the lake? If so, you need this book. David Wilton debunks the most persistently wrong word histories, and gives, to the best of our actual knowledge, the real stories behind these perennially mis-etymologized words. In addition, he explains why these wrong stories are created, disseminated, and persist, even after being corrected time and time again. What makes us cling to these stories, when the truth behind these words and phrases is available, for the most part, at any library or on the Internet? Arranged by chapters, this book avoids a dry A-Z format. Chapters separate misetymologies by kind, including The Perils of Political Correctness (picnics have nothing to do with lynchings), Posh, Phat Pommies (the problems of bacronyming--the desire to make every word into an acronym), and CANOE (which stands for the Conspiracy to Attribute Nautical Origins to Everything). Word Myths corrects long-held and far-flung examples of wrong etymologies, without taking the fun out of etymology itself. It's the best of both worlds: not only do you learn the many wrong stories behind these words, you also learn why and how they are created--and what the real story is.

Author : D Williams
Publisher : Ian Allen Pub
ISBN 13 : 9780711028500
Total Pages : 79 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

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Download or read book P&O - Port Out Starboard Home written by D Williams and published by Ian Allen Pub. This book was released on 2002 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: POSH' - 'Port Out, Starboard Home' - was an affecionate acronym for the Peninsula & Orinetal Steam Navigation Company. Long associated with great and luxurious vessels, this photographic collection of impressive colour images records P&O's changing business over the past fifty years. With detailed captions forming a background to the diverse and magnificent vessels. 81 colour photos. 80 pages. Laminated landscape hardback

Author : P. G. Wodehouse
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 3963769548
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Tales of St. Austin's written by P. G. Wodehouse and published by . This book was released on 2018-05-27 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tales of St. Austin's is a collection of short stories and essays, all with a school theme, by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published on 10 November 1903 by Adam & Charles Black, London, all except one item having previously appeared in the schoolboy magazines, The Captain and Public School Magazine. The stories are set in the fictional public school of St. Austin's, which was also the setting for The Pothunters (1902); they revolve around cricket, rugby, petty gambling and other boyish escapades.

Author : Michael Quinion
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0060851538
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds written by Michael Quinion and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2006-03-14 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, and the whole nine yards rolled into one, this true feast for word lovers skewers commonly accepted word-origin myths and etymological folktales. Writing with flair and authority, word maven and Oxford English Dictionary contributor Michael Quinion shows us that the real story behind a word or phrase is often much stranger than the commonly accepted one. With this book in your arsenal, you'll have the last word in every word-lover's game of one-upmanship. So if you've ever wondered why we utter such oddities as "raining cats and dogs," "I couldn't care less," or "twenty-three skidoo," this one's for you. No ballyhoo!

Author : Michael Quinion
Publisher : Penguin UK
ISBN 13 : 0141909048
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Port Out, Starboard Home written by Michael Quinion and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can it really be true that 'golf' stands for 'Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden'? Or that 'rule of thumb' comes from an archaic legal principle that a man may chastise his wife, but only with a rod no thicker than his thumb? These and hundreds of other stories are commonly told and retold whenever people meet. They grow up in part because expressions are often genuinely mysterious. Why, for example, are satisfying meals 'square' rather than any other shape? And how did anyone ever come up with the idea that if you're competent at something you can 'cut the mustard'? Michael Quinion here retells many of the more bizarre tales, and explains their real origins where they're known. This is a fascinating treasure-trove of fiction and fact for anyone interested in language.

Author : Nicola Skinner
Publisher : HarperCollins
ISBN 13 : 0063071754
Total Pages : 301 pages
Book Rating : 4.59/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Starboard written by Nicola Skinner and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2023-06-06 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nicola Skinner's inventive, funny, surprising prose once again tells an honest story of big emotions, making Starboard the perfect follow-up to the critically acclaimed Storm. Kirsten Bramble is too famous to have friends. That’s what she tells herself, anyway—but with the end of her hit reality TV show barreling toward her, Kirsten’s not sure she’s ready to say goodbye to her lonely life of fame. Luckily—or unluckily—Kirsten can’t help being plunged headfirst into a new adventure when she’s dragged on a class trip to visit the SS Great Britain. Because somehow, the ancient ship can speak to her—and she wants Kirsten to be her new captain. The ship pulls out of the harbor with no sails and no working engine, and try as Kirsten might, she can’t convince the ship to turn back until they find a way to help her finish her final quest. Kirsten doesn’t feel like a captain—but along the way, she may just realize that the ending of an adventure, while scary, can be just as special as the beginning.

Author : Oscar Seaworthy
Publisher : Barefoot Books
ISBN 13 : 9781846860621
Total Pages : 36 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Port Side Pirates written by Oscar Seaworthy and published by Barefoot Books. This book was released on 2007 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Join the pirates as they go to sea.

Author : Ian Fleming
Publisher : Candlewick Press
ISBN 13 : 076366684X
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.42/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang written by Ian Fleming and published by Candlewick Press. This book was released on 2013-03-12 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ian Fleming’s beloved original text — newly illustrated by Joe Berger! “Crackpot” is what everybody calls the Pott family. So when they go to buy a new car and come back with a wreck, nobody is surprised. Except for the Potts themselves. First, the car has a name. And she tells them what it is. Then they find out that she can fly. And swim. . . . Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a car on a mission to stop a criminal gang in its tracks — and she is taking the Potts with her! Jump into the world’s most loved magical car for her first adventure.