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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins Hardback - 2004

by Michael Quinion


From the publisher

The real story of a word or phrase's origin and evolution is often much stranger--and much more humorous--than the commonly accepted one; the many entries will certainly leave you "happy as a clam." Happy as a clam? Really, what's so happy about being a clam? The saying makes much more sense when it's paired with its missing second half: "at high water." Now a clam at high water is a safe clam, and thus a happy clam. From the bawdy to the sublime, Quinion's explanations and delightful asides truly prove that the "proof is in the pudding."

Details

  • Title Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
  • Author Michael Quinion
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Printing
  • Language EN
  • Publisher Smithsonian, Washington
  • Date 2004-10-17
  • ISBN 9781588342195

Media reviews

“When he is not busting myths, the author (who runs the World Wide Words Web site) offers up origins of words and phrases that most readers will probably have wondered about. . . . The book is simply organized—alphabetically, of course—and endlessly illuminating. Quinion's research and documentation are impeccable, and when he needs to make a leap of imagination, he does so gracefully. For word lovers, this book is indispensable.”—David Pitt, Booklist

About the author

Michael Quinion hosts and writes the World Wide Words Web site and is a contributor to the "Oxford English Dictionairy."
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

by Quinion, Michael

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckeroo, and Spuds : Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

by Quinion, Michael

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9781588342195 / 1588342190
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins
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Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

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