A Thousand Years in the History of English.
Throughout history, events great and small have left their mark on the way we speak. Starting from the historical framework and working from 1066 to the present day, this book takes a unique approach to the relationship of the word to the world, of life to language.
It links hundreds of common words and phrases with the political upheavals, world-changing innovations and minor social changes which gave them life. The American Civil War, for example, gave us the word "grapevine", whilst "brainwashing" was an invention of the Korean War. Similarly, many phrases that are part of our everyday life have clear historical beginnings: "God save the Queen", "every cloud has a silver lining" or "strike it rich" are just three.
Linda and Roger Flavell combine scholarly accuracy with a clear understanding of the oddities of language that delight the browser. This is a word book for historians, a history book for wordsmiths, and a constant source of fascination for anyone with a love of English.
