ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

"The Wonder of Whiffling" is a hugely enjoyable, surprising and rewarding tour around the language of the British Isles (with plenty of fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere). Discover all sorts of words you've always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend one's money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell. Delving passionately into the English language, Adam Jacot de Boinod also discovers why it is you wouldn't want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

Did you know, that in Germany a young man with suspiciously good manners is called Tantenverf rhrer (literally, aunt seducer), that in Namibia there is a word for walking on tiptoe through warm sand or that, in Welsh, gwarlingo is the rushing sound a grandfather clock makes before striking the hour. Whether you are physiggomai (Ancient Greek - excited by eating garlic) or knedlikovy (Czech - rather partial to dumplings) there are words here to charm and amuse everyone. Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 280 languages and packed with charming illustrations, Toujours Tingo is the perfect book for anyone interested in words, language or the world around them.

Why would Germans accuse you of being like the donkey getting cross with a rabbit? Who would a Spaniard tell to go and fry asparagus? And when might the French claim they are without a radish? Furthering your knowledge of the worlds unusual idioms, Toujours Tingo will also explain how ordering lamb in Ethiopia may see a cow delivered to your table, and how politicians in Sweden may be encouraged occasionally to gora en hel Pudel (do a full poodle) with some humble apologising. Covering such wide-ranging linguistic necessities as arguing, raising children, working and dining out, and filling all those gaps that English leaves thoughtlessly unplugged, this books charm would for Russians at least be eiku ponjatno (obvious even to a hedgehog).

Did you know that people in Indonesia have a word that means to take off your clothes in order to dance? Or how many words the Albanians have for eyebrows and moustaches? Or that the Dutch word for skimming stones is plimpplamppletteren? Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 154 languages, this intriguing book is arranged by theme so you can compare attitudes all over the world to such subjects as food, the human body and the battle of the sexes. Here you can find not only those words for which there is no direct counterpart in English (such as the Japanese age-otori which means looking less attractive after a haircut), but also a frank discussion of exactly how many Eskimo terms there are for snow, and a vast array of information exploring the wonderful and often downright strange world of words. Oh, and tingo means to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by asking to borrow them.

The Wonder of Whiffling is a hugely enjoyable, surprising and rewarding tour of English around the globe (with fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere).Discover all sorts of words youve always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend ones money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell. Delving passionately into the English language, Adam Jacot de Boinod also discovers why it is you wouldnt want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

From shotclog, a Yorkshire term for a companion only tolerated because he is paying for the drinks, to Albanian having 29 words to describe different kinds of eyebrows, the languages of the world are full of amazing, amusing and illuminating words and expressions that will improve absolutely everybodys quality of life. All they need is this book! This bumper volume gathers all three of Adam Jacot de Boinods acclaimed books about language - The Wonder of Whiffling,The Meaning of Tingo and Toujours Tingo (their fans include everyone from Stephen Fry to Michael Palin) - into one highly entertaining, keenly priced compendium. As Mariella Frostup said Youll never be lost for words again!

Adam Jacot de Boinod''s interest in foreign languages was first aroused when doing research for the BBC programme QI and subsequently developed into a full-on vokabulyu (Russian - passion for foreign words). While searching through 280 dictionaries, 140 websites and numerous books on language, he developed an undoubted samlermani (Danish - mania for collecting), became close to being fisselig (German - flustered to the point of incompetence) and narrowly avoided karoshi (Japanese - death from overwork).

¿Sabías que en Bolivia hay una palabra que significa "Anoche estaba como que muy borracho pero la culpa es de ellos"?¿O que los albaneses tienen veintisiete maneras distintas de decir "bigote"? Este apasionante libro, curioso muestrario del saber colectivo de mas de 280 lenguas, esta ordenado tematicamente a fin de poder comparar las distintas maneras de lidiar con materias como la comida, el cuerpo humano o la batalla de los sexos a lo largo y ancho del mundo.