Books by Jeffrey Kacirk

Have you ever sent a message via scandaroon, needed a nimgimmer, or fallen victim to bowelhive? Never heard of these terms? That's because they are a thing of the past. These words are alive and well, however, in Forgotten English, a charming collection of hundreds of archaic words, their definitions, and old-fashioned line drawings. For readers of Bill Bryson, Henry Beard, and Richard Lederer, Forgotten English is an eye-opening trip down a delightful etymological path. Readers learn that an ale connor sat in a puddle of ale to judge its quality, that a beemaster informed bees of any important household events, and that our ancestors had a saint for hangover sufferers, St. Bibiana, a fact pertinent to the word bibulous. Each selection is accompanied by literary excerpts demonstrating the word's usage, from sources such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, and Benjamin Franklin. Entertaining as well as educational, Forgotten English is a fascinating addition to word lovers' books.

A wide-reaching treasury of some 2,500 English-language colloquialisms from the past and present is culled from dictionaries, etymological treatises, historical writings, and other sources, in a volume that features such entries as "bone-orchard" and "chawswizzled." Original.

A witty study of vintage words and expressions of the English language presents nearly two hundred archaic words and phrases, along with definitions, trivia, historical notes, and period illustrations. Original.