Did you know that an assassinis a hashish-eater and a yokela country woodpecker? That Dr Mesmer mesmerisedpatients back to health or that Samuel Pepys enjoyed a good game of handicap? While we're at it, what have spondulicsto do with spines or lawyers with avocados? In It's a Wonderful Word, bestselling author Albert Jack collects over 500 of the strangest, funniest-sounding and most delightful words in the English language, and traces them back to their often puzzling origins. While brushing up on your gibberishor gobbledygook, discover why bastardsshould resent travelling salesmen, why sheets should remain on tenterhooksand why you should never set down a tumblerbefore finishing your drink. From blottoto bamboozleand from claptrapto quango, Albert Jack's addictive anecdotes bring the world's most colourful language to life and are guaranteed to surprise and entertain.