Word Myths Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends [Hardcover]

Do you know thatposhcomes from an acronym meaning port out, starboard home ? That the whole nine yards comes from (pick one) the length of a WWII gunner's belt; the amount of fabric needed to make a kilt; a sarcastic football expression? That Chicago is called The Windy City because of the bloviating habits of its politicians, and not the breeze off the lake?

If so, you need this book. David Wilton debunks the most persistently wrong word histories, and gives, to the best of our actual knowledge, the real stories behind these perennially mis-etymologized words.

In addition, he explainswhythese wrong stories are created, disseminated, and persist, even after being corrected time and time again. What makes us cling to these stories, when the truth behind these words and phrases is available, for the most part, at any library or on the Internet?

Arranged by chapters, this book avoids a dry A-Z format. Chapters separate misetymologies by kind, includingThe Perils of Political Correctness(picnics have nothing to do with lynchings),Posh, Phat Pommies(the problems ofbacronyming--the desire to make every word into an acronym), andCANOE(which stands for the Conspiracy to Attribute Nautical Origins to Everything).

Word Mythscorrects long-held and far-flung examples of wrong etymologies, without taking the fun out of etymology itself. It's the best of both worlds: not only do you learn the many wrong stories behind these words, you also learn why and how they are created--and what the real story is.

Think hot dog was coined by a New York baseball vendor, or that a certain vulgarity originated as an acronym? Then you need to read this book, which shows that some of the best etymological stories are just tall tales. --Chicago Tribune(10 Best Books About Language, 2004)

David Wilton, a writer, lives in California. He runs the popular lcv