Adventuring Among Words

Eric Partridge's name needs no introduction to anyone interested, however remotely, in the study of words and their meanings. The innumerable readers who have reason to be grateful to him for opening their eyes- and ears- to the fascinations of linguistic exploration will here find Mr. Partridge in lighter vein discussing a variety of topics with the persuasive erudition that has made his name a household word among students, both expert and amateur. In his researches into the origins of an adjective in common use, such as 'phoney', he combines the historical approach with that of the enthusiastic word-detective. Similarly with changes that have taken place in the meaning of such a word, for instance, as 'rum' - now used in a sense exactly contrary to its original meaning- he shows how a knowledge of world history may be a help to understanding the basis of one's own language. In dealing with the etymology of slang, both the ordinary variety and the peculiar argot common to the underworld, his encyclopedic knowledge throws light on some strange and unsuspected derivations, as well as on changes in sense and sound. Mr. Partridge's approach is the reverse of didactic. In this book, the purpose of which is simply, as he describes it, the enjoyment of 'adventuring among words', his wit and common sense can always be relied upon to illumine the remote and often strange bypaths down which he leads the reader.