Wrapping Up Word of the Week Wednesday!

Last week brought the end of our five-week Word of the Week Wednesday feature on Twitter (#wowwed). In case you missed it, here are the five word origins we tweeted, all courtesy of Mark Abley, author of Camp Fossil Eyes: Digging for the Origins of Words:

Parasite: In Ancient Greece, it was fun to be a parasite (literally, "beside food"). Parasites would eat dinner at rich people's homes, where they flattered the host.

Manure: A poet once wrote: "Manure your heart." Why? He meant "improve it." The word is from a Latin phrase meaning "work with the hands."

Gossip: Gossips were originally "God relatives" or godparents. Later they were women who were present at a child's birth--and who talked.

Salary: Centuries ago, people could preserve food only by covering it in salt. A salary was the money that Roman soldiers bought salt with.

Sockeye: Forget feet and faces! This word comes from B.C., where the Salish Indians called a red fish "su-key".

We've also drawn the winners for our favorite-word contest: first place has won a copy of Camp Fossil Eyes and a travel Scrabble set, and the two runners-up have each won a copy of the book! As soon as we've notified the winners, we'll post the origins of their favorite words (courtesy of Mark Abley, of course!). Stay tuned!

More Word Fun!

You might think that translating a book about English word etymology would be pretty tough… but Korean publisher Mirae N Culture of Seoul is up to the challenge! Next year, they will be publishing a Korean language edition of Mark Abley’s Camp Fossil Eyes, a story in which two teenagers spend their summer digging for the origins of everyday English words at a summer camp like no other! We’re looking forward to seeing their edition… even if none of us here at the Annick offices will be able to read it!

For a sneak peek at some of the words explored in Camp Fossil Eyes, check out our "Word of the Week Wednesday" feature on Twitter! Each Wednesday from July 22 to August 19, we'll be tweeting a super-short story of a different word's origin, written by author Mark Abley. (You can also search for the hashtag #wowwed.) The first two words were parasite and manure... what will the next one be?

We've received lots of entries for our Camp Fossil Eyes contest, but it's not too late to enter! Just send your name, address, and favorite word to annickpress(at)annickpress(dot)com to be entered for a chance to win a free copy of the book AND a travel Scrabble set! The lucky winner will be announced on August 19!

Word-Sleuthing at Its Best!

In his new book Camp Fossil Eyes, author Mark Abley explores the intriguing origins of many words we take for granted. For example, did you know that television comes from Greek? Or that we have the Dutch language to thank for cookie?

To celebrate the wonderful world of words, we're having a contest! It's easy to enter: just e-mail your name, address, and favorite word to annickpress(at)annickpress(dot)com. You'll be added to our catalog mailing list (of course, you can request to be removed at any time) and will have a chance to win a copy of the book and a travel version of Scrabble!

Also, watch for our new "Word of the Week Wednesday" feature on Twitter. Just follow Annick Press (or search for #wowwed) to learn the interesting origins of a new word each Wednesday for the next five weeks!