Quinion on language

[ktinkel]

I suspect I am very late in discovering the wonderful writings of Michael Quinion, but in case anyone else is also, check it out:

His well-organized and interesting web site: World Wide Words: Michael Quinion writes on international English from a British viewpoint

Or (and) you can subscribe to a free weekly e-mail (or RSS) newsletter in which the web site’s contents appear early.

Quinion has written at least three books, including Gallimaufry: A hodge-podge of our vanishing vocabulary; Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins (known as POSH, or Port Out, Starboard Home in England); and Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings.

From the list of last week’s top-ten viewed topics: bated breath, abbreviation lb for pound, ketchup v catsup. This must keep changing, but those caught my eye. And the last article in an impressively long list of recently added pages: Apostrophes. Obviously the man has a ranging mind (and a great deal of energy).