EVERY WORD TELLS A STORY

Tom Read Wilson is here to take us on a rip roaring tour through some of the most astonishing and amusing words in the English language with Every Word Tells a Story See how the English language evolved in this extraordinary exploration of the origins of everyday words Full of funny stories and fascinating facts Tom Read Wilson knows even the most ordinary sounding word can have the most surprising story behind it Did you know for instance that The word bloomers comes from Amelia Bloomer who was a women s rights activist and owner and editor of the first U S newspaper edited by and for women who wanted to move more freely in her knickers Or that the word daisy comes from the Old English dæges eage meaning day s eye because the petals of a daisy open at dawn and close at dusk The word easel comes from the Dutch word ezel meaning donkey because both are depenable and suitable for carrying a load Or that English nicknames for police officers bobbies and peelers both come from the names of Sir Robert Peel British prime minister in the 1800s and creator of the first modern police force Each fascinating word is explored through a quirky amusing story alongside the etymology word origin and definition Paired with beautiful characterful i