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Horsefeathers and Other Curious Words [Paperback]

Charles E. Funk (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review) |

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Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 1994

Oh, horsefeathers!

If you've ever wondered why the candy is called butterscotch; why a certain southern food is called a hush puppy; why tog supports in a fireplace are known as andirons, or sometimes firedogs, you'll be fascinated by the origins of the more than 600 words discussed in "a book that gets curiouser and curiouser as it goes along" (Son Francisco Chronicle).

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Oh, horsefeathers!

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles Earle Funk was editor in chief of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary Series. He wrote several other books on word and phrase origins, including Horsefeathers, Heavens to Betsy!, and Thereby Hangs a Tale.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (September 8, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062733532
ISBN-13: 978-0062733535
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,692,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An etymological treasure, November 24, 1998

Behind Camera "behindthecamera" (Elmira, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horsefeathers and Other Curious Words (Paperback)

My grandfather's favourite word was "horsefeathers," so when I found this book on a library shelf in my junior high school in the 70's, I was shocked to discover that the original meaning of horsefeathers was not "balderdash" as I had assumed, but something quite different.

An online argument about the etymology of the word led to my purchase of the book from amazon.com. I highly recommend it both as a source of interesting word origins and (as it was in my case), an argument-winner.

It's a good buy. And I'm not full of horsefeathers when I say it.

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Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
The Anglo-Saxon word which has become stirrup was stigrap, and if this were to be literally translated into modern English, it would become "sty-rope" or "climbing-rope" The Anglo-Saxon word is composed of the root stig, from stigan, "to climb" (see under steward for sty, "to climb"), plus rap, "rope" This leads us to the conclusion that the first stirrups were merely short lengths of ropes thrown over the back of the steed, and having loops tied in either end. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, New England, United States, Dictionary of Americanisms, Oxford English Dictionary, Old English, John Barleycorn, Civil War, Late Latin, San Francisco, Low German, Middle Ages, New Orleans, Old Norse, Old Teutonic, Ben Jonson, Black Maria, Middle English, Old High German, Old Testament, Samuel Johnson, Thousand Things, West Indies, William Warren

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Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 15 books:

Holy Bible: King James Version: Standard Text Edition by Baker Publishing Group on page 96, and page 118
History of New York by Washington Irving on page 35, and page 210
The History of John Bull (Oxford English Texts) by John Arbuthnot on page 107
Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld by Herbert Asbury on page 37
She Stoops to Conquer (The New Mermaids) by Oliver Goldsmith on page 148

See all 15 books this book cites

3 books cite this book:

A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions by Charles E. Funk in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Third Grade Teacher's Month-by-Month Activities Program by Elizabeth Crosby Stull on page 78
Proverbs: A Handbook (Greenwood Folklore Handbooks) by Wolfgang Mieder in Back Matter

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