Why Hitler hated being called a Nazi and what’s really in humble pie – The Etymologicon in the Sunday Telegraph and the Daily Mail

Posted on 2011/10/24 , tagged as

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Both the Sunday Telegraph – yesterday – the Daily Mail this morning have stories about Mark Forsyth’s new book, The Etymologicon, published by Icon on 3rd November.

‘Have you ever wondered why we pass the buck, eat humble pie or let the cat out of the bag? The English language is rich in idioms and expressions which have evolved in meaning over the centuries, often arising from trades or customs which have long disappeared. The origins of hundreds of everyday words and phrases have been set out in a new guide,’ writes Jasper Copping in the Sunday Telegraph.

Meanwhile Simon Tomlinson in the Mail asks:

‘We use them every day – from telling friends how you’re ‘in the doghouse’ with the wife, blaming someone for ‘passing the buck’ or regaling dinner parties with rumours heard ‘through the grapevine’. But how many of us know the origins of such idioms, which provide so much richness to the English language?’

Read more about the book here.