Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language

Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language - Paul Anthony Jones

From Monte Carlo to Shanghai, Bikini to Samarra, Around the World in 80 Words is a whimsical voyage through the far-flung reaches of the English language.

What makes a place so memorable that it survives for ever in a word? In this captivating round-the-world jaunt, Paul Anthony Jones reveals the intriguing stories of how 80 different places came to be immortalised in our language.

Beginning in London and heading through Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas, you’ll discover why the origins of turkeys, Brazil nuts, limericks and Panama hats aren’t quite as straightforward as you might presume. You’ll also find out what the Philippines have given to your office in-tray; what an island with more bears than people has given to your liquor cabinet; and how a tiny hamlet in Nottinghamshire became Gotham City.

Surprising and consistently entertaining, this is essential reading for armchair travellers and word nerds. Our dictionaries are full of hidden histories, tales and adventures from all over the world – if you know where to look.

Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language - Paul Anthony Jones: About the Author

Paul Anthony Jones was born in South Shields in 1983. He is the author of four books: 'The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer' (2012); both 'Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons' (2013) and its sequel, 'Jedburgh Justice & Kentish Fire' (2014); and language fact book 'Word Drops' (2015). 'Haggard Hawks' has since been featured in both The Guardian and The Huffington Post, and has spawned its own popular word-related Twitter account, @HaggardHawks, which was named one of Twitter's best language accounts by Mental Floss magazine in 2014. The daily word and language facts of the @HaggardHawks account inspired 'Word Drops: A Sprinkling of Linguistic Curiosities', published by Elliott & Thompson in April 2015.

Besides his interest in etymology and language, Paul is also a classically trained pianist. He lives in Jesmond in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he drinks far too much coffee and reads far, far too many books.