Tenderfeet And Ladyfingers: A Visceral Approach To Words And Their Origins
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
What do tenderfeet and ladyfingers have in common? They are just two of the countless colourful English words and phrases whose origins are rooted in the human body — and Susan Kelz Sperling's Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers brings these linguistic curiosities to vivid, surprising life. Published by The Viking Press, this witty and erudite volume presents a visceral tour through the English language, uncovering the anatomical ancestry of everyday words and idioms that most speakers use without a second thought. With illustrations by Michael C. Witte adding a playful visual dimension, the book transforms etymology into an entertaining and enlightening experience. Sperling writes with the authority of a true word enthusiast and the wit of a seasoned storyteller, making Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers as much a pleasure to read as it is intellectually stimulating. The work argues that language is deeply embodied — that the words we inherit carry the fingerprints of the human form across centuries of cultural and linguistic evolution. For lovers of words, trivia enthusiasts, and anyone who has ever wondered why we say what we say, this volume will leave you looking at the English language with fresh, and perhaps slightly more anatomically aware, eyes.
Author: Susan Kelz Sperling
Format: Hardback
Genre: Reference & language
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Good
What do tenderfeet and ladyfingers have in common? They are just two of the countless colourful English words and phrases whose origins are rooted in the human body — and Susan Kelz Sperling's Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers brings these linguistic curiosities to vivid, surprising life. Published by The Viking Press, this witty and erudite volume presents a visceral tour through the English language, uncovering the anatomical ancestry of everyday words and idioms that most speakers use without a second thought. With illustrations by Michael C. Witte adding a playful visual dimension, the book transforms etymology into an entertaining and enlightening experience. Sperling writes with the authority of a true word enthusiast and the wit of a seasoned storyteller, making Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers as much a pleasure to read as it is intellectually stimulating. The work argues that language is deeply embodied — that the words we inherit carry the fingerprints of the human form across centuries of cultural and linguistic evolution. For lovers of words, trivia enthusiasts, and anyone who has ever wondered why we say what we say, this volume will leave you looking at the English language with fresh, and perhaps slightly more anatomically aware, eyes.