Why do good things cut the mustard? Who or what was the real Real McCoy?
And why do we call false sentiment crocodile tears? Can crocodiles
really cry?
In What Made the Crocodile Cry?, Susie Dent draws on her popular
television segment on the curiosities of English to tackle these and
many other fascinating puzzles. Writing with her customary charm and
erudition, Dent offers a wonderfully readable and endlessly entertaining
exploration of language, answering 101 of the most intriguing questions
about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar
and usage. Dent ranges far and wide in her search for the oddities of
language, pondering the ancient origin of the word "tragedy" (which
originally meant "goat song" in Greek) as well as the modern meaning of
the word "donk" in the Blackout Crew's song title "Put a Donk in It."
And throughout, the book brims with fascinating tales. Readers learn,
for instance, that the word "bankrupt" comes from the Italian "banca
rotta" or " broken bench" and the word "broke" (meaning "out of funds")
has the same origin. Dent explains that in the sixteenth century, money
lenders
conducted their business on benches outdoors and the usual Italian word
for "bench" was "banca" (hence today's "bank"). The author also provides
an entertaining account of the origin of the term "white elephant"
(meaning "a useless, burdensome possession") that dates back to ancient
Siam, where rare white elephants were always given to the king. But
since by law white elephants couldn't be worked (and earn money) or even
be ridden, the king often re-gifted these worthless burdens to courtiers
whom he didn't like.
Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful
compendium will be irresistible to anyone fascinated with language--the
perfect gift for word lovers everywhere.
