In a Word: 750 Words and Their Fascinating Stories and Origins (Hardcover)

by Rosalie Baker (Author), Tom Lopes (Illustrator) "Ever wonder how the word "orchestra" evolved to mean both the location of the best seats in a theater and a large group of musicians..." (more)
Key Phrases: exceptional expressions, noun logos, word traces, Religious Rituals, Fabulous Folklore, Middle Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-Spanning a broad range of topics, this collection of word origins informs and entertains readers. Organized into 16 chapters with catchy titles such as "Military Madness," "Glorious Gizmos & Great Grub," and "Tantalizing Tidbits," the concise entries are both relevant and thoughtful. "Exceptional Expressions" is a particularly fun chapter for browsing, as it offers historical context and origins of commonly used phrases such as "baker's dozen," "chew the fat," and "go berserk." Amusing black-and-white drawings and bits of pertinent trivia appear throughout. Younger students who are still developing their vocabulary and cultural knowledge may find some of the explanations a bit esoteric, but generally comprehensible. One minor drawback is that pronunciations are located in the index instead of with the actual entry, which can be a bit cumbersome. More accessible, but less comprehensive than The Facts On File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (Facts On File, 1997), this is a solid choice for librarians wanting to update their English language collections.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-8. Drawn from Cobblestone magazine's monthly column, "Calliope," the entries in this book discuss the meanings and derivations of 750 words and phrases. The arrangement is topical, with broad subject categories such as archaeology, clothing, or the military. One chapter features expressions such as "beyond the pale" and "slush fund," and another explains foreign words and phrases such as chutzpah and laissez faire. A typical page includes several entries explained in single-paragraph discussions. While exploring word origins, Baker also touches on interesting facets of European history and Greek mythology. The jaunty illustrations are reproduced in black and shades of gray. A chart on the last double-page spread illustrates the branches of Indo-European languages. Best read in small sections or used for reference, this informative book fosters an appreciation for the richness of the English language. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books (December 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812627105
• ISBN-13: 978-0812627107
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #237,687 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute book, but..., July 11, 2009

By	T. Davis "Tom Davis" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a pleasure to pick up and browse: informative, well-written, and filled with clever drawings. It's useful for students and teachers alike, but -- and I don't mean to nitpick -- it's by no means definitive. Readers should be aware of alternative attributions before they announce these etymologies to their friends or pupils.

For instance, on page 18, the author claims that the name for Africa originated from the Latin word "aprica," meaning "sunny," as if this were a settled matter. But it's only one of many possible origins; numerous alternative theories point to North African tribes and languages for the word's derivation.

On the same page, the author traces the etymology of "arctic" to the Greek words for the constellation Ursa Major. However, because Polaris, the North Star, is in Ursa Minor, this constellation may also be the source of the word.

This caveat aside, there are a lot of fun and interesting tidbits of geographic, cultural, and historical knowledge to be gleaned from the book.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, interesting, November 14, 2007

By	Karyn Elizabeth "KET" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This book is fun to read. It has lots of interesting historical info. Good for teachers.