National Network for Equitable Library Service

The bawdy English language has never been overly concerned with purity, and this promiscuous proclivity has contributed to many alluring word histories. Words, like species, evolve, and particularly those words that have been in existence for many centuries have undergone major evolutions in meaning. When you read Strange Bedfellows: The Private Lives of Words, you will discover the unexpected. For example, why gossiping in church is etymologically proper, and that words such as "avocado" and "porcelain" have past associations with some of the nether regions of the body. As Richler reveals, the English language has slept around for centuries and in the process has been "contaminated" by many foreign influences. Composed of short chapters with each containing ten words from specific fields, Strange Bedfellows will surprise and delight the reader.