Language: history & general works

Olivia Swarthout, creator of the viral sensation ‘Weird Medieval Guys’, turns her idiosyncratic and humorous eye to the fascinating roots of the English language. Here, she introduces readers to wordspotting, a hobby for those who love words and their peculiarities, origins and histories. From the seemingly modern ‘unfriend’ – which dates back to the seventeenth century – to the revelation that the leotard was named after its inventor Jules Léotard, ‘The Wordspotter’s Guide’ brims with fascinating linguistic tidbits alongside advice and techniques for detecting the bizarre and unlikely commonalities between words and their meanings.