The Painted Word cover art

The Painted Word

A Treasure Chest of Remarkable Words and Their Origins

Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

About this listen

To untangle the knot of interlocking meanings of these painted words, logophile and mythologist Phil Cousineau begins each fascinating word entry with his own brief definition. He then fills it in with a tint of etymology and a smattering of quotes that show how the word is used, ending with a list of companion words. The words themselves range from commonplace - like "biscuit", a twice-baked cake for Roman soldiers - to loanwords including "chaparral", from the Basque shepherds who came to the American West; words from myths, such as hector; metamorphosis words, like "silly", which evolved from "holy" to "goofy" in a mere thousand years; and words well worthy of revival, such as "carrytale", a wandering storyteller. Whether old-fangled or brand new, all the words included in The Painted Word possess an ineffable quality that makes them luminous.

©2012 Cleis Press (P)2013 Cleis Press
Words, Language & Grammar World
No reviews yet