A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi" - Chloe Rhodes

Synopsis:
Carpe Diem and Become a Word Connoisseur!
English is filled with a smorgasbord of foreign words and phrases that have entered our language from many sources -- some from as far back as the Celts. A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi," which tells the story of how many of these expressions came to be commonly used in English, will both amaze and amuse language lovers everywhere. You'll be fascinated to learn, for instance, that . . .
* ketchup began life as a spicy pickled fish sauce called koechiap in seventeenth-century China?
* honcho came from the Japanese word hancho, which means squad chief? The word was brought to the United States sometime during the 1940s by soldiers who had served in Japan.
* dungarees comes from the Hindi word dungri, the thick cotton cloth used for sails and tents in India?
Organized alphabetically for easy reference, A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi" tells the little-known origin of some of these thousands of foreign words and phrases -- from aficionado to zeitgeist. Inside, you'll find translations, definitions, origins, and lively descriptions of each item's evolution into our everyday discourse. With this whimsical little book, you'll be ready to throw out a foreign word or phrase at your next party, lending your conversation with, well, a certain je ne sais quoi.


©2010


My Opinion:
I loved everything about this book. I love language books, especially books that study the origin of words, so this book for me was a treat!
A lot of the words inside I was familiar with, and even some of their origins, but there were a few new words to me too. I know that I am going to try to use these words in my extended vocabulary now.
This is a really great book for English lovers, language lovers, or people with general curiosity. Though I don't think a book for everyone, I do think everyone could benefit from it.

3/5


~I received a copy from FSB Associates. I was not compensated for my opinion.~