Dog Days and Dandelions

Download or read book Dog Days and Dandelions written by Martha Barnette and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2013-11-12 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From apian (like a bee) to zodiac (little-animals circle), a word book that spots the animal origins of words and names There are mice in your muscles, and blackbirds in your merlot. Behind adulation is a dog's wagging tail. Peculiar houses a herd of cattle. Grubby is crawling with bugs. Wordhound Martha Barnette collects more than 300 common (and a few not-so-common) words that have surprising animal roots. Tracing word origins back to ancient Greek and Latin as well as to European roots and American slang, the entries offer a guided tour through literature, science, folklore, politics, and more--with a wilderness of animal meanings at every turn. For fledgling word sleuths as well as those who fawn over etymologies, this is a delightful smorgasbord for writers, students, and word lovers.