Unfortunate English: The Gloomy Truth Behind the Words You Use

by William Brohaugh

Previous meanings of words that would offend the sensitive, discomfit the squeamish, and irk the politically correct are uncovered in this entertaining compilation of word histories and etymologies. 10,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Humor, History, Writing, Reference, Linguistics

184 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2006

Reviews

[Kitty G Books]

This is a small little non-fiction/comedy book which focuses on the etymology of words. Most of the words that the author chooses to focus on are fairly dark and gloomy, about torture or nasty things (hence the name Unfortunate English).

I liked this for what it was, but I think the Americanisms did mean I couldn't always connect with the 'jokes' that were being made. I think it's likeable enough, but it's nothing I didn't know, and in fact lots of the words I did already know the meaning behind just through common sense. I think a lot more could have been done to make this more original, but as it stands it was just an okay little read. 2*s

[Roux Stellarsphyr]

While Brohaugh has provided readers with a wide variety of words of curious and tantalizing etymological origins, Unfortunate English does not live up to its tagline that beckons readers to "Experience the dark side of the English language." Primarily, this is due to Brohaugh's exhausting and juvenile treatment of the subject matter in a decidedly unfunny way. Thus, Unfortunate English is just that -- unfortunate.

The writing choices made hinder the book in a couple ways. First, some of the entries are quite scant on detail. Namely, I feel for the reader who does not have some considerable background knowledge as he or she tries to follow Brohaugh's helter-skelter style of writing. Second, this speedy treatment of entries might have been forgivable. After all, etymology books most likely don't sell well, so a more nuanced account of the history of each word would have lengthened the book and made it a bit drier. However, Brohaugh seems hellbent on making the reader see how witty he is, making long tangents that stray considerably from the subject at hand and wasting the reader's time. Third, Brohaugh inconsistently plays coy with the language, simultaneously censoring himself (Oh dear if we should read the word "testicle"!) and delighting in vulgarity ("Shit" makes more than a few awkward appearances, not unlike watching Kiefer Sutherland in the movie Mirrors.) This obfuscates entries while robbing them of the very thing the book claims to provide -- the 'dark side' of our language. One reckons that if the etymology of these words had been laid bare, the words and their evolution would have provided wit and bawdiness enough, as well as providing more information.

In summation, Brohaugh has done his research, and would-be readers ought to reap the reward. If you should come across this book, it would be my suggestion to copy down the bibliography at the end and then leave it where it lies, preferably behind other well-executed examples of naughty language use like Filthy Shakespeare. However, if you're looking to get a sort of bathroom reader for your guests who like to repeat the odd fact at dinner parties (as long as it doesn't have much substance), this book is a perfect gift.

[Brian]

I really enjoyed Brohaugh's discussion of the hidden meaning in words' past, but his sense of humor is terrible. It's so bad, I was tempted to give this two stars.

[Thomas Andrikus]

Lots of interesting etymology of words here!

[Fred Baerkircher]

Etymology is always interesting, but this book tries way too hard to be cute. The information's alright, it's just that the author isn't as witty as he thinks he is.

[Scott]

A fun, lively look at the dark meanings between some seemingly innocent English words. It's a quick and interesting read, and I am happy to see that the author often points out that etymologies aren't always to be trusted. If you like exploring words and aren't necessarily looking for a great deal of linguistic depth, you'll probably enjoy this book, maybe as a companion to Wicked Words.

[Melissa Helton]

A brief history of words that have a bloody, gross, or bawdy history. Fun for any word lover. Easy to read in bite-sized chunks. Cute illustrations. At times, the author's attempt at humor seemed forced, but a fun book.

[Keitra]

Despite the other reviews for this book, I enjoyed it. I've always found it interesting to learn the origins of words. Even as a child, I wondered how we got to the words we use today.

[Sylvia]

Clever topics and a quick read. Although at times, the author seemed AS though they had too much caffeine while writing this. Great for kids or young adults!

[Grace]

I think this book was better suited to my younger self. Would be perfect for a middle-high schooler.

[EMMA]

cool idea but the execution just wasn’t there. there was too much emphasis on the quippy humor and not enough on the information itself.

[SabCo T.]

This book is a tiny little thing [as in it can literally fit in a pocket if fidgeted], but it’s pretty interesting. Lots of friends have borrowed/asked to borrow it. Like the summary says, it’s just a listing of words and their original definitions and how they’ve changed over the years – usually to mean something not at all what related to what it used to be.

A downside to this, is the author’s ‘humor’ in the book. Alright, I get it – you like to try and make funny jokes because some of the words in question have hilarious backstories, but they make their humor attempts with every.single.word.

If it wasn’t that the end of the description of each word still gives more information about it, I wanted to start skipping the ends in order to avoid their humor attempts. It’s just… bad.

On little sidenotes, the little doodles and the general ‘dark’ color schemes and designs going on with the book are all aesthetically pleasing. The author tries to make all the word definitions seem so heinous though… and a lot of them aren’t as bad as he makes it out to be.

Here’s a taste of one of my favorite word backgrounds:

“Pretty” originally meant ‘artful, crafty, or cunning’ in Old English, a meaning that is now obsolete. The world was not a compliment, having derived from a world that meant ‘wile or trick.’ Around 1400, pretty came to take such complimentary meanings as ‘admirable, fine, acceptable, honorable.’ And when it was applied in this sense to people, it was only for males. The more female-specific sense of ‘fair, attractive’ followed shortly behind, as did the more general sense, as in ‘a pretty sunset.’ The true adverbial use – meaning ‘rather’ – was in place by the mid -1500s.

There is something of an insult in the modern sense of pretty that it falls short of a full compliment. The person or sunset, or whatever, is not beautiful; it is almost that. This is the kind of partially hearted compliment that characterizes ovation. So beware the pretty one, that person may be seeking to con you.

Overall enjoyable and an educational read about etymology. Just a little too hard on the cornball jokes. [and if you get this book, lots and lots of people will ask you about it/pick it off your bookshelf to look at]

I give Unfortunate English 3/5 Pretty Pretty Pretties

[Michelle Brandstetter]

Per Merriam-Webster Etymology is defined as:
1 : the history of a linguistic form (as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language
2: a branch of linguistics concerned with etymologies

Eye-opening, hilarious, and sometimes kind of disturbing, this book reviews the history of what seem like fairly innocuous everyday words. A few that stood out for me were sarcasm, posterior, medley, loophole, and addled. The last having the original meaning of urine or liquid feces. I'll let you put the pieces together of the expression 'addle headed.'

[James]

An enjoyable and quick read that takes the time to remind people that words and language are an ever evolving and even an involving process. For example, while several forms these days may ask one to identify their ethnicity to be politically sensitive, this book reminds us that asking for race is, perhaps, more sensitive if one knows the history of the term ethnicity. While the book is not overly life altering, it is engaging and likeable as a quick read that showcases the evolution of our language and how our perception of terms has changed and how language has evolved over time.

If you have a background in etymology, nothing will be overly shocking, but it still has enough interesting graphics and a humorous enough writing style to consider picking it up.

[Xanthi]

I loved the layout and graphics of this book. I have read a few books about etymology but this one had a special spin to it - a theme, of sorts. There is plenty of humour in this book and a lot of surprises as to the origins of some very commonly used words. I found the convoluted word play a bit annoying at times. Clever but confusing. Apart from that, an enjoyable read.

[Rachie]

This was quick but fun little read. I enjoyed learning the sordid history of the words we now use. "Fizzle" I thought was particularly funny. Then again I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old. Sometimes I wished there was a bit more information provided. And I thought the authors assumptions about the meaning of some words was unnecessary. If there isn't a connection, why bring it up?

[Rachel Ashcraft]

This was quick but fun little read. I enjoyed learning the sordid history of the words we now use. "Fizzle" I thought was particularly funny. Then again I have the sense of humor of a 12 year old. Sometimes I wished there was a bit more information provided. And I thought the authors assumptions about the meaning of some words was unnecessary. If there isn't a connection, why bring it up?

[Zombaby Cera]

An amusing glossary regarding various words
in the English language and how their
meanings have changed from more colorful or
even distasteful roots.
Many of the definitions had me giggling!
I would surely recommend this book to any
history buff or language arts geek.

[Brendan]

I don't think a lot of what was in here was as surprising as the author thought it was. Also, he likes puns. They get tired after the first section (if not earlier). I would not recommend this as a book to read about word origins.

[Joe]

It is a short, and sweet, read. The book teaches, and with a nice humorous spin throughout. The book flew by for me (it took me two days to read, and on-and-off reading at that), but reflecting on it, I'd say it was enjoyable.

[Stacy]

This is a great book for people that love to learn interesting facts on everyday things. And what's more everyday than words? Some of the things you discover about our great language are not so great and might even make you think twice about incorporating them into your vocabulary.

[Amy]

This is a fun and interesting read! Have a "curmudgeon" sense of humor in mind. :)

[Elizabeth]

For total linguistic nerds, like myself.

[Daniel Evans]

very informative

[Holly]

Read this in two weeks at work, during slow periods. There's cute little Burton-esque drawings all over it and on every page and it's funny. I have a fetish for etymology, though.

[David Withun]

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[John Nathan]

An excellent book that tells the terrible secrets behind the words we use today. Very enjoyable for a language geek like me!

[Avery]

Review here.

[David]

Mildly amusing, but ultimately forgettable.

[Mandy]

Great idea, but not fantastically written.