WHAT MADE THE CROCODILE CRY:101 QUESTIONS ABOUT ENGLISH LANGUAGE: 101 Questions about the English Language

by Susie Dent

Why do good things cut the mustard? Who or what was the real Real McCoy? And why do we call false sentiment crocodile tears? Can crocodiles really cry? In What Made the Crocodile Cry? , Susie Dent draws on her popular television segment on the curiosities of English to tackle these and many other fascinating puzzles. Writing with her customary charm and erudition, Dent offers a wonderfully readable and endlessly entertaining exploration of language, answering 101 of the most intriguing questions about the English language, from word origins and spelling to grammar and usage. Dent ranges far and wide in her search for the oddities of language, pondering the ancient origin of the word "tragedy" (which originally meant "goat song" in Greek) as well as the modern meaning of the word "donk" in the Blackout Crew's song title "Put a Donk in It." And throughout, the book brims with fascinating tales. Readers learn, for instance, that the word "bankrupt" comes from the Italian "banca rotta" or " broken bench" and the word "broke" (meaning "out of funds") has the same origin. Dent explains that in the sixteenth century, money lenders conducted their business on benches outdoors and the usual Italian word for "bench" was "banca" (hence today's "bank"). The author also provides an entertaining account of the origin of the term "white elephant" (meaning "a useless, burdensome possession") that dates back to ancient Siam, where rare white elephants were always given to the king. But since by law white elephants couldn't be worked (and earn money) or even be ridden, the king often re-gifted these worthless burdens to courtiers whom he didn't like. Sparkling with insight and linguistic curiosity, this delightful compendium will be irresistible to anyone fascinated with language--the perfect gift for word lovers everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Reference, Humor, Linguistics

159 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2009

About the author

Dent was educated at the Marist Convent in Ascot, an independent Roman Catholic day school. She went on to Somerville College, Oxford for her B.A. in modern languages, then to Princeton University for her master's degree in German.

Dent is serves as the resident lexicographer and adjudicator for the letters rounds on long-running British game show Countdown. At the time she began work on Countdown in 1992, she had just started working for the Oxford University Press on producing English dictionaries, having previously worked on bilingual dictionaries.

Reviews

[Girl and Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and interesting.

[M.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining

This book is a fun explanation of common slang phrases used in Britain. While other English dialect natives may not have heard some of them, they’re interesting nonetheless.

For wordophiles, this is a light, entertaining read with a bit of humor scattered throughout.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun with the English language for 8 Out of Ten Cats Does Countdown fans. And everyone else. Terrific Christmas gift. Bob’s your uncle.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A book made for those who aren't intelligent enough to use Google, by someone who has enough intelligence to read Wikipedia.

[Hyrum Sutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 3.5 stars.

While many of the questions were delightful and interesting, others simply weren't. This makes sense, of course, seeing as a lot of the words and phrases were British, not Canadian, but even some of the ones I wasn't familiar with managed to peek my interest, while some of them I just found boring. A few of my favourites include the origins of "bury the hatchet", "bikini", "devil's advocate", and "white elephant", as well as all of the "most useless words".

My favourite part of the book was how Susie always refers to the English language as a democratic affair, or other phrases along those lines. As someone obsessed with grammar and correct language, I've always viewed English as having strict rules that shan't be disobeyed. Susie helped me realize that while there are correct ways of saying things, English is constantly evolving and adapting, and what may be incorrect now may very well become correct if it's used enough in the future. Dictionaries then, are not the lawmakers, but the law finders. They provide a snapshot of language in the year of their publication. I found that idea very interesting.

However, I also found that the book at times seemed very hastily put together. The care and attention given to some questions weren't found in all of them; some sentences and explanations didn't quite make sense, and question 92 actually asks why "Americans call Britons Limeys and Poms," when the answer quite clearly indicates that it's Australians that use those terms, not Americans. It's a fairly obvious mistake in large font at the top of the page, and a mistake that could seemingly only be made if the project was rushed. That's why the final product lands somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me.

[Nadia | Mon Vàng Vàng · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 stars/5 stars (round up)
I was either feeling good and bad at the same time while reading this book. It openned for me to a whole new world, 'cause I was surprised by how diverse of English phrases and also idioms were using right now, such a big world I haven't found out yet. SO thank to this book, I've found quite a lot of that big treasure, also encouraged me on my way learning and improving my English skills.
On the other hand, I also thought that this book was kind of made for someone who had an amazing tool like Google but instead of using it, they decided to read this book which was written by someone who had learnt and better at using Google than them.
I was swayed by the introduction line of this book, it was still a great choice for giving you some basic informations about all those English things, but at the same time I'd say that you could learn more on Google or maybe a more academic book than this one. For me it's a love and hate.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s an interesting guide to the history of words and their phrases, but sometimes the entries digress into other similar phrases rather than the headline one which grabs your attention. In some respects, it’s an entire book of Countdown’s Dictionary Corner. There’s a fair amount of vulgar words but few of them overall are used in everyday slang. It’s almost as if it’s a book for someone who fancies a new catchphrase. Inside, there’s also photographs rather than illustrations which adds a more serious edge to the book rather than the fun image on the cover. A foreword by Jo Brand was quite surprising and I was even more surprised to learn that she’s bezzy mates with the author. However, the book does reveal some very fascinating histories and mysteries about phrases present and mostly past. Some are quite predictive if you know your history; others do tell a good story. And that’s really all we’re after with this book.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting of course but unfortunately a rather shoddily made book that seems hastily put together (the "illustrations" are particularly naff) and contains typos and other bits and bobs that could have done with editing!

[Fred Christopherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lighthearted but scholarly description of the origins of common words and phrases. While the wording may be playful, the entries are based on research. When something is not known, the author says so.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a highly entertaining look at the origins of odd idiomatic phrases in English. Dent lightly discusses lots of things such as the titular (am I the only one amused by that term?) crocodile tears and a hundred others. Great source book for language arts and ESL teachers.

[Myron M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was going to give it four stars, "fun to read, not much new, kind of British". But it got bumped to 5 stars in the final pages for teaching me that the female equivalent of "Tom, Dick & Harry" was "Molly, Nell & Sue". Good trivia that's good for you.

[Mathew Walls · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting etymology stuff, but mostly about the same level of detail you'd get out of a dictionary. Not worth paying money for.

[Elshey Hey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this immensily! There’s sooo much to learn. And I did learn quite a bit 👌🏻

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and have learnt lots of cool facts from it. Would definitely recommend to anyone who has an interest in words and sayings and where they come from.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick read, very funny and informative

[Rosanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book for reading a minute or two at a time. Light reading for people interested in the history of words. Took me a long time to finish.

[Amy Heap · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers of our quirky, illogical, baffling, and fascinating language, this is the background too many of the strange things we say. Interesting, fun, and easy to dip in and out of.

[Peter Brickwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great daily constitutional for the mind. I long to know the stories and origins of every word I read, like all of Dent's work this is a wonderful salve for that itch.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Already knew some of these origins, others were new. Some weren’t really satisfactorily answered, but then without a time machine I guess we can never be sure.

[Flo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmmmmmm mm mmmmmmmm rapido de leer pero siento que las ideas no estaban completas en general, todo muy al aire y me dejo con gusto a poco queseyo

[Haven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a highly entertaining and informative book about the English language. It's written from a British point of view, so it's especially enlightening (and occasionally frustrating!) for the American reader. The author researches everything thoroughly, then answers the question with quite a lot of cheek. I highly recommend this.

[Farah]

The next must-buy-item in my list.
Just found out on oxford.com dan langsung tertarik. Tapi apa terbit ya di Indonesia ? Hope so...

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and deceptively learned look at the origins of some of our best known phrases. Dent is the lady with the big dictionary on Count Down!

Liked it a lot.

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

susan dent is genius. i love the way she presents language development and history in an interesting and fun way!

4 series

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[Celia Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely well written book.I was given this as a Christmas present and I absolutely adore it! Definitely would recommend.