About this item

From diesel to gerrymandering, the English language is rich with eponyms - words that are named after an individual. The many histories behind these words are often mesmerizing - a word named, incidentally, after the German physician Franz Mesmer, who developed the practice of hypnotism as a form of therapy. Deriving from numerous sources, eponyms are full of intrigue. This book features one hundred and fifty of the most interesting and enlightening specimens, delving into the origins of the words and describing the fascinating people after whom they were named. Some honor a style icon, inventor, or explorer, such as pompadour, Kalashnikov, and Cadillac. Others have roots in Greek or Roman mythology, such as panic and tantalize. Still others are far from celebratory and were created to brand the negative association of their origins - into this category can be filed boycott, Molotov cocktail, and sadist.



About the Author

Claire Cock-Starkey

Claire Cock-Starkey is a writer and editor based in Cambridge, UK. I started my career working with Ben Schott on his hugely successful Miscellanies and Almanacs.After producing a small team of children I decided it was time to set up on my own, so since 2011 I have been busily working as a freelance writer and editor - juggling writing books and articles, project managing a vast array of Lego building operations and editing and indexing a number of non-fiction titles.I mainly write on history, the natural world, books and libraries and enjoy seeking out the quirks of a story which elevate the dry to the delightful.I am happiest perched in the British Library reading rooms surrounded by a pile of obscure and fascinating books researching my next offering.



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