num_pages: 224
description: Brimming with hidden histories and tantalizing twists,  The Accidental Dictionary  tells the extraordinary stories behind ordinary words.Our everyday language is full of surprises; its origins are stranger than you might think. Any word might be knocked and buffeted, subjected to twists and turns, expansions and contractions, happy and unhappy accidents. There are intriguing tales behind even the most familiar terms, and they can say as much about the present as they do the past.Busking , for instance, originally meant  piracy .  Grin  meant to  snarl . A  bimbo  was a  man ;  nice  meant  ignorant ;  glamor  was  magic , and a  cupboard  was a  table .  Buxom  used to mean  obedient ; a  cloud  was a  rock ;  raunchy  originally meant  dirty .Focusing on one hundred surprising threads in the evolution of English,  The Accidental Dictionary  reveals the etymological origins and quirky developments that have led to the meanings we take for granted today. It is a weird and wonderful journey into words.So, let's revel in its randomness and delight in its diversity—our dictionary is indeed accidental.
language: English
title: The Accidental Dictionary: The Remarkable Twists and Turns of English Words
publisher: Pegasus Books