Going to Hell in a Hen Basket: An Illustrated Dictionary of Modern Malapropisms - Rilegato

Rubin, Robert Alden

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1250066271 ISBN 13: 9781250066275

Casa editrice: Flatiron Books, 2015

Riassunto

Malapropism - A word or phrase that has been mistaken for another, usually because of its sound rather than its meaning.

Everyone has made the mistake of using a word or phrase that they think sounds correct, but in fact is not. Malapropisms make some sense. They have a semantic logic to them, even if that logic makes perfect nonsense. InGoing to Hell in a Hen Basket, author Robert Alden Rubin delights in the creative misuse of words and celebrates the verbal and textual flubs that ignore the conventions of proper English.

Culled from blogs, the deepest corners of the internet, as well as some of the most esteemed publications, here is a collection of classic malapropisms paired with hilarious illustrations.

Some examples include:

· adieu, without further - Conflation of bidding adieu (saying goodbye) withado (complicated doings, ceremony) to mean "without saying anything more."
· feeble position - An unborn child in a fetal position seems weak and helpless, which explains the confusion here. The two words also share some sexist cultural and literary associations.Feeble (weak) originates from a Latin word for something to be wept over;fetal (relating to a fetus) originates from the same preliterate Indo-European word that gives usfemale.
· hone in on - Confuses expressions such as finely honed with home in on or zero in on(focus on, locate) and sometimes with horn in on (intrude upon). Homing,as pigeons perform it, often involves flying in narrowing circles until the target is reached.Hone means to sharpen; the malapropism conveys the sense of a carefully sharpened instrument and sometimescutting in.

Perfect for bookworms and wordsmiths, the point here isn't to shame the malapropagandists, but to delight in the twists and turns writers put our language through and to amuse and inform those of us who care about words.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

ROBERT ALDEN RUBIN holds an M.A. in creative writing from Hollins College, and a PhD in English Literature from the University of North Carolina. He worked as a journalist and a college English instructor at the University of North Carolina and was an editor for Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Rubin's previous books include Poetry Out Loud andOn the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage. He lives in Sykesville, Maryland, with his wife.

Product Description:

Everyone has made the mistake of using a word or phrase that they think sounds sort of right, but isn't. Rubin collects his favourite malapropisms in a gift book that's perfect for bookworms and wordsmiths. Some examples include: -"without further adieu" - Conflation of bidding adieu (saying good-bye) with ado (complicated doings, ceremony) to mean "without saying anything more." -"hair-brained" - Perhaps confuses hare-brained with airheaded. Hare-brained (rash, silly, or stupid) derives from the erratic mating dances of hares, as in the saying mad as a March hare," though it also follows that someone with hair for brains wouldn't be sharp. -"l was curled up in a feeble position" - Confusing feeble with fetal, but actually makes a bit of sense! -"exercising demons" - I guess even demons need to go to the gym. Found on blogs, the deepest corners of the internet, as well as some of the most esteemed publications, Rubin gently pokes fun at the twists and turns writers put our language through.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Flatiron Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1250066271
• ISBN 13: 9781250066275
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 216