An interesting book about word origins and the validity of certain grammatical rules and constructions. While in the main I enjoyed Origins of the Specious, there are two things that restrain it from receiving a higher rating: some parts simply failed to keep my attention, and I felt that the author did not put forth an actual thesis. I agreed with her position that words should be used as contemporary society deems them to be used as long as the individuals that inhabit society can understand and comprehend, but by the end she leaned in the opposite direction, stating that some words' meaning and usage should be preserved as they originally were. That discombobulated me.

Overall, recommended to lovers of linguistics or people who are curious about where certain words come from.