Book description
Balderdash & Piffle: One Sandwich Short of a Dog's Dinner
is a thrilling ride through the provocative, bewildering and often
downright bizarre world of language and etymology. From the brash
jargon of celebrity magazines to the delicacies and feints of the
euphemism, author and word-sleuth Alex Games has uncovered the
remarkable stories that lie behind some of our best-loved words and
expressions.
By grouping words into distinct themes - such as put downs and
insults, the vocab of fashionistas and the lingo of dodgy dealings -
Balderdash & Piffle looks at the English language in a
fresh and revealing light.
Who was the original Jack the Lad? What is the tragic story behind
the expression Sweet F. A.? Balderdash & Piffle will show
you where thugs come from, why 'barmy' once had more to do with your
beer than your brain, and how a little bit of 'hanky-panky' could
literally work magic. From the 'Cloud-cuckoo-land' of Aristophanes to
the town of Balaclava, this is a funny but rigorously researched
account of English words and their origins.
Drawing together sources as diverse as William Shakespeare, David
Cameron and the Burnham-on-Sea Gazette, Alex Games recalls the
trends, innovations and scandals that have produced some of our most
familiar but least explored words and phrases. Accompanying a brand
new series of the hit BBC television programme Balderdash &
Piffle - and containing all the results of the 'Wordhunt' from the
first series -this entertaining book is a treasure trove for
English-language lovers everywhere.
Alex Games wrote the original Balderdash & Piffle
which became an instant bestseller on publication in January 2006. He
has written for most of the slightly posher newspapers, and in a brief
stint as a gadget columnist he was responsible for reviewing some of
the most inexpensive items ever to appear in the Financial
Times. As well as writing comedy for BBC Radio 1 and 4, Alex has
written biographies of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and Alan Bennett.
Victoria Coren is a well-known freelance journalist. She
writes weekly columns in the Guardian and the Observer,
and she has written two books, Love 16 and Once More With
Feeling. She presents Balderdash & Piffle and several
televised poker series. Victoria is a keen amateur word-hunter and an
avid completer of crosswords, albeit not always with the right answers.
