The English language is full of beauty and surprises. If you're a lover of the weird and wonderful, from fascinating etymology to the ten most overused and useless English phrases, this book isn't averse to a peppering of persiflage! Did you know: - pilots and air traffic controllers at major air international airports have to speak English - the hashtag symbol is an "octothorpe" - "bumfiddle" means to spoil a piece of paper or document - the word "noon" originally meant 3pm; the literal meaning of "bamboozle" is to make a baboon out of someone. This book contains a boatload of things you didn't know about the English language and it's a guaranteed prolix-free zone.

Author Biography

Michael Powell studied English Language and Literature at Manchester University before spending three years at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, training to be an actor. He then spent five years as an internationally unknown professional actor and musical director. In 1996, Michael entered publishing and became assistant editor at BCA for two years. In 2001, Michael became a freelance writer and editor. Since then, he has established a reputation for writing a wide range of books for adults and children.