Basically, this book is full of meaningless trivia on a subject I happen to like. It was amusing but not deep or scholarly.
I learned, among other things, that:
- “blimey” is a contraction of “God blind me!” (60)
- “biro” is pronounced “by-row” and refers to the kind of ballpoint pen invented by Lazlo Biro (60)
- to express disbelief in German, say “My hamster is scrubbing the floor.” (88)
When and Why I Read It
Bought it cheap in Colorado.
Genre: nonfiction (reference / language)
Date started / date finished: 08-Jul-16 to 17-Jul-16
Length: 202 pages
ISBN: 9780785825289 (hardcover)
Originally published in: 1995
Amazon link: Do’s and Taboos of Using English around the World
