What in the Word? Wordplay, Word Lore, and Answers to Your Peskiest Questions about Language (Harvest Original)

Presents A Humorous Look At The English Language, Including Information On Word And Phrase Origins, Slang, Style, Usage, Punctuation, And Pronunciation. Once Upon A Word : Word Histories, Mysteries, Hoaxes, And Hype : Sorting The Tall Tales From The Truth -- A Slough Of Solecisms : Wherein The Author Leads You Safely Out Of A Morass Of Mistakes And Misperceptions Into The Clear, Comforting Light Of Correct English -- The Grandiloquent Gumshoe : Words Recovered, Discovered, And Devised -- The Elegance Of Style : Distinctions, Clarifications, Niceties, And Other Little Things That Make Your Language More Polished And Precise -- A Civil Tongue : Wherein The Author Launders Your Pronunciation And Presses You To Speak With Propriety And Poise -- Born In The U.s.a. : Some Quintessentially American Words And Expressions, From Okay To Humongous, With Some Other American Stuff Thrown In Just For Fun -- The Wonder Of Words : A Fascinating Farrago Of Word Lore And Wordplay That Just Didn't Fit Anywhere Else. Charles Harrington Elster. A Harvest Original. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [269]-273) And Index.