Book details
Dog Days and Dandelions
A Lively Guide to the Animal Meanings Behind Everyday Words
Author: Martha Barnette
Dog Days and Dandelions
$11.99
About This Book
Book Details
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.
Imprint Publisher
St. Martin's Press
ISBN
9781466856882
In The News
"Readers with a penchant for odd and underused words, such as myrmidon (an unprincipled lackey) and musteline (resembling a weasel) will find them aplenty here."—Publishers Weekly