Words, Words, Words: Houghmagandie, Knockers, Trolleys and Others - Softcover

Humorous, fascinating and informative, O Muirithe deploys a wide range of sources - both written and oral - to uncover words and phrases from the polyglot stockpot that is the English language. These refreshing and exploratory pieces range in place and time through Ireland, England and Scotland, ransacking dialects and etymologies derived from Old Norse, Old Irish, Old English, Middle Dutch, Norman French, High German, Medieval Latin, Ulster-Scots and Sanscrit. With his unerring ear, O Muirithe uncovers layers of social history, sexual practices, sporting habits and dietary needs gleaned from street, field and paper. Without our knowledge, we speak in tongues inherited from slang, folklore and the midden of the obsolete, underpinning and contributing to everyday experiences. The Way of Words contains multitudes in its pocket-histories. It will delight and enlighten all who care about language and communication.

Diarmaid O Muirithe is a native of New Ross, County Wexford. He was Fulbright Professor of English at Villanova and Chair of Irish Studies at St Mary's University, Halifax, Novia Scotia, USA, he is senior lecturer in Irish at University College Dublin. He writes 'The Words We Use' column in the Irish Times and is author of A Word in Your Ear (1997), Folklore of County Wexford (1999) and A Dictionary of Anglo-Irish (2000).