The Wordspotter’s Guide
On sale
5th November 2026
Price: £24.99
Genre
Anglo-saxon / European History / Historical & Comparative Linguistics / Language: History & General Works / Medieval History / Social & Cultural History
Selected:
Audiobook Downloadable / ISBN-13: 9781806492480
Olivia Swarthout, creator of the viral sensation Weird Medieval Guys, turns her idiosyncratic and humorous eye to the fascinating roots of the English language. Here, she introduces readers to wordspotting, a hobby for those who love words and their peculiarities, origins and histories.
From the seemingly modern ‘unfriend’ – which dates back to the seventeenth century to the revelation that the leotard was named after its inventor Jules Léotard, The Wordspotter’s Guide brims with fascinating linguistic tidbits alongside advice and techniques for detecting the bizarre and unlikely commonalities between words and their meanings.
An invitation to pay better attention to words and their stories, this etymological romp will bring out the wordspotter in everyone.
From the seemingly modern ‘unfriend’ – which dates back to the seventeenth century to the revelation that the leotard was named after its inventor Jules Léotard, The Wordspotter’s Guide brims with fascinating linguistic tidbits alongside advice and techniques for detecting the bizarre and unlikely commonalities between words and their meanings.
An invitation to pay better attention to words and their stories, this etymological romp will bring out the wordspotter in everyone.