- This new paperback edition of the Oxford School Dictionary of Word Origins gives an engaging insight into the origins of the everyday language we use. It provides additional language support and information through funny and absorbing word histories, feature entries on especially curious, "yucky", and "mind-boggling" words, and a full thematic section on words from the worlds of food, fashion, dinosaur names, invented and onomatopoeic words and much more. John Ayto, top word expert, entertains all ages from eight to eighty with this informative and humorous dictionary and language reference tool.