Haggard hawks and paltry poltroons: the origins of English in ten words

What do the words haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail have in common? The answer - they're all descended from falconry.Word origins guide Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons collects together the remarkable histories of 500 English words and uniquely presents them in 50 sets of ten like this, linked together by some extraordinary etymological or linguistic quirk. From 10 Words Derived from Colors to 10 Words Invented by Shakespeare, here you'll find the connections between ampersands and alarm clocks, praline and chauvinism, tuxedos and Texas, bidets and cavalries, and much, much more. Familiar words mingle with the unfamiliar and the downright bizarre, and each word is dealt with in accessible yet informative detail, over offering a fascinating insight into all corners and eccentricities of the English language.