Customer Reviews

A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi": The Origin of Foreign Words Used in English

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There can't be a more American word than "dungarees", right? Actually, according to author Chloe Rhodes, the word dungarees comes from a Hindi word Dungri which is a cotton cloth used for sails and tents in India. This is the type of word information contained in A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi.

Listed alphabetically, the book gives not only the origin of the words we use, but also how they became included in our language. Many of the words we hear regularly, kowtow, alma mater, kudos, and glitch, have their origins in other countries around the world. How appropriate is the origin of the word "paparazzi" which is an Italian word for mosquitoes!

This is an entertaining book filled with information for those with an interest in words and for those who want to use them correctly. This is the most recent book in a series by Reader's Digest.

A sheer delight. Like many readers, I love words. I love discovering the origins of words and phrases. Here, I discovered that the origin of paparazzi means mosquito. How appropriate is that? Or how we use the term Al Fresco to mean "in the fresh air" but in Italy it's slang for "in prison".

I was familiar with many of these words and phrases, but not how they came into such wide use. This is one of those fun books that you can just pick up on a whim and entertain yourself. It's a fast, easy read if you want to read it in one sitting. But, I see it placed on a shelf or end table for someone to pick up and peruse for an enlightening few minutes.

Quite simply put, this book is essential for word smiths. I received it as a gift and have enjoyed my time reading it, and exercising the little grey cells a la M. Hercule Poirot. I like the mini-history lessons for each word and recommend this book for anyone else who likes reading for enjoyment and wants to delve into a little bit of etymology.

This is a great new reference work that you might just find yourself curling up with as if it were a novel. It explores 'the origin of foreign words used in English', and some of them are pretty amusing.

For example, our term paparazzi referred to the Italian word for mosquito and was related to a Fellini film (how appropriate is that!). And when you say someone has a lot of panache, you probably aren't referring to the feather on their hat, but that is where the word derives from: a plume of feather that exuded flair (French origin). Now we consider panache more of an expression of style (i.e. Johnny Depp has the trademark on panache)! Another interesting word in our literary world is denouement, which originated in the French and referred to 'an untying'. That makes sense, as when we get to the denouement of the book all the complexities usually are unravelled and our understanding is clear.

I enjoyed the different choices of phrases and the accurate explanation of what they originally meant. I always thought Quid Pro Quo meant doing something for free, somewhat mixing it up with Pro Bono. Both of my interpretations were wrong: quid pro quo means something done in exchange for something else (not free). Pro Bono means something done 'for the good' as in a public service.

This is a reference work useful to almost anyone, but I can't help but think a high school or college student might especially benefit from the explanations and fast paced instruction. My only disappointment was that the book doesn't offer pronounciations with the phrases. Most are obvious, but a few really could use a guide on how to correctly pronounce the phrase (thus settling many dinner party disputes).

Words, phrases, certain sayings we use all the time...do you ever wonder where they came from? "A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Chloe Rhodes lets us in on the origins of things we say every day. From A cappella ( in the manner of the choir) to Zeitgeist (spirit of the time), Chic (elegant) to Sarong (covering), any lover of words will love this book. Examples as well as origins are given alphabetically. This would be a great book for any reader, graduate (high school or college), anyone who is crazy about language.

My Mom instilled me with a love of words, and she would have loved this book! No Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware), needed, this is so much fun!

Get this book for yourself, or for anyone whose Raison d'Etre (reason for being) has anything to do with words. You won't regret it!

I received this book from Julie at FSB Associates for review. Thanks!!

I love words. I love learning new words and finding out where they originated. This book is a gold mine for any logophile (lover of words). It has so many words we hear all the time and tells us what it really means and where it came from. There were so many I'd never heard of like:
frottage (rubbing)French
diaspora (scattering)Greek
ersatz (replacement)German

A few I did know were:
kaput (broken)German
faux pas (wrong step)French
moratorium (delay)Latin

Another thing I love is this book. I will be pulling it off my bookshelf quite often, it is a great tool to exercise your brain.

*Thanks to Julie and FSB Associates for this review copy*

I'm an unashamed word nerd and I loved this book which describes the origins of a few hundred foreign phrases in English. Each entry consists of the phrase, its literal translation (there are some surprises there), an explanation and an example (usually a funny one) of it in use. I loved the book and found it a compelling read (I'm weird like that) because there was so much information in it. I recommend it wholeheartedly and will be keeping it on my reference shelf.

Great book. A collection of phrases and words that have been absorbed into our culture over the ages. Got this for a family member who loves all things literary,etymological, and grammatical. She loves it! So do I.

This book covers many of the common foreign words and phrases as well as some I have not heard before (although, some that I'd expect to see were not included). Overall, the contents seem OK, but what really disappointed me is the lack of transcription (phonetic notations). Since words and phrases covered in this book are of foreign origin, I would like to see phonetic notations so I know how to pronounce them.