An entertaining collection of strange, delightful and unexpectedly apt words from the origins of English, which illuminates the lives, beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors.

'Wonderful' - Tom Holland
'A lovely, lovely read' - Lucy Mangan
'Splendid' - David Crystal
'Thorough, entertaining, and absolutely fascinating.' Paul Anthony Jones, Haggard Hawks

In this beautiful little book, Hana Videen has gathered gems of words together to create a glorious trove and illuminate the lives, beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors. We discover a world where choking on a bit of bread might prove your guilt, where fiend-ship was as likely as friend-ship, and you might grow up to be a laughter-smith. These are the magical roots of our own language: you'll never see English in the same way again.