Book Review-A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi": The Origin of Foreign Words Used in English by Chloe Rhodes

I was given a free copy of A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi": The Origin of Foreign Words Used in English by FSB Publishing to review and post on my blog.

I wanted to share what is written on the back cover of the book as it explains in detail about what is inside the covers.

English is filled with a smorgasbord of foreign words and phrases that have entered our language from many sources-some from as far back as the Celts. A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi," which tells the story of how many of these expressions came to be commonly used in English, will both amaze and amuse language lovers everywhere. You'll be fascinated to learn, for instance, that...

*ketchup began life as a spicy pickled fish sauce called koeshiap in seventeenth-century China
*honcho came from the Japanese word hancho, which means squad chief. The word was braought to hte United STates sometime during the 1940's by soldiers who had served in Japan.
*dungarees comes from the Hindi word dungri, the thick cotton cloth used for sails and tents in India.

Organized alphabetically for easy reference, it tells the little-known origin of some of these thousands of foreign words and phrases-from aficionado to zeitgeist. Inside, you'll find translations, definitions, origins, and lively descriptions of each item's evolution into our everyday discourse. With this whimsical litle book, you'll be ready to throw out a foreign word or phrase at your next party, lending your conversation with, well, a certain je ne sais quoi.

I love this book! If you are a lover of words and their origins, this is the book for you. It gives a word with what its original meaning is and how it came to be used in America. Not only is this a fun read but a great way to improve your vocabulary and impress someone with what you know and who knows, you may be on a game show someday and this information could be very useful.

About the Author:
Chloe Rhodes is a freelance journalist who has worked for The Telegraph, Guardian, and The Tines as well as numerous other respected publications. She lives in North London with her husband.