Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons: The Origins of English in Ten Words - Hardcover

What do the following ten words all have in common - haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail? All fairly familiar and straightforward words, after a little digging into their histories it turns out that all of them derive from falconry: the adjective haggard described an adult falcon captured from the wild; mews were the enclosures hawks were kept in whilst moulting; codger is thought to come from 'cadger', the member of a hunting party who carried the birds' perches, and so on.

This, essentially, is what Ten Words is all about - the book collects together hundreds of the most intriguing, surprising and little known histories and etymologies of a whole host of English words. From ancient place names to unusual languages, and obscure professions to military slang, this is a fascinating treasure trove of linguistic facts.

Can you name...
...the word for a musical instrument derived from a goose?
...the twenty-seventh letter of the alphabet?
...a Victorian punishment that became a piece of gym equipment?
...a pony that became a bathroom fitting?
...the place where you would find a vampire in a theatre?