ADAM JACOT DE BOINOD

Did you know, that in Germany a young man with suspiciously good manners is called Tantenverf rhrer (literally, aunt seducer), that in Namibia there is a word for walking on tiptoe through warm sand or that, in Welsh, gwarlingo is the rushing sound a grandfather clock makes before striking the hour. Whether you are physiggomai (Ancient Greek - excited by eating garlic) or knedlikovy (Czech - rather partial to dumplings) there are words here to charm and amuse everyone. Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 280 languages and packed with charming illustrations, Toujours Tingo is the perfect book for anyone interested in words, language or the world around them.

"The Wonder of Whiffling" is a hugely enjoyable, surprising and rewarding tour around the language of the British Isles (with plenty of fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere). Discover all sorts of words you've always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend one's money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell. Delving passionately into the English language, Adam Jacot de Boinod also discovers why it is you wouldn't want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

Adam Jacot de Boinod''s interest in foreign languages was first aroused when doing research for the BBC programme QI and subsequently developed into a full-on vokabulyu (Russian - passion for foreign words). While searching through 280 dictionaries, 140 websites and numerous books on language, he developed an undoubted samlermani (Danish - mania for collecting), became close to being fisselig (German - flustered to the point of incompetence) and narrowly avoided karoshi (Japanese - death from overwork).

¿Sabías que en Bolivia hay una palabra que significa "Anoche estaba como que muy borracho pero la culpa es de ellos"?¿O que los albaneses tienen veintisiete maneras distintas de decir "bigote"? Este apasionante libro, curioso muestrario del saber colectivo de mas de 280 lenguas, esta ordenado tematicamente a fin de poder comparar las distintas maneras de lidiar con materias como la comida, el cuerpo humano o la batalla de los sexos a lo largo y ancho del mundo.