Quinion, Michael (Brian) 1942–

PERSONAL: Born December 21, 1942, in London, England; son of Bernard Leslie and Bessie (Crook) Quinion; married Betty Margaret Thaeder, August 13, 1966; children: Brian. Education: Cambridge University, B.A., 1965, M.A., 1968.

ADDRESSES: Home—England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon, St., Oxford OX2 6DP, England. E-mail—webmaster@worldwidewords.org.

CAREER: Author and editor. BBC Radio, producer, 1965–74; Sight-Sound Productions, England, 1973–77; Museum of Cider, Hereford, England, curator, 1977–81; Michael Quinion Associates, Thornbury, England, partner, 1981; Touchstone Associates Ltd., Stroud and Bristol, England, 1986–92. Reader and researcher for Oxford English Dictionary; founder and editor, World Wide Words Web site.

WRITINGS:

Cidermaking, Princes Risborough (Shire, England), 1982.

Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2002.

Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Smithsonian Books (Washington, DC), 2004, published as Posh: Port Out, Starboard Home and Other Language Myths, Penguin (London, England), 2004.

Contributor to London Daily Telegraph. Former editor, Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 2nd edition.

SIDELIGHTS: British author Michael Quinion began his career working for BBC radio and producing audio-visual programs for British visitor attractions. In 1979 he became the curator of the Cider Museum in Hereford, which eventually led to the writing of his first book, Cidermaking. Quinion also followed his interest in the study and use of language, working for the Oxford English Dictionary as a researcher, and writing a third of the entries for the second edition of the Oxford Dictionary of New Words. Quinion also created a popular Web site, World Wide Words, which discusses the English language and the history of certain words.

In 2002, Quinion wrote his first book about language, Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings. This title concentrates on the various beginnings and endings of words, providing an etymology of the element, examples of its use, and a description of its meaning and usage.

Quinion produced his second language-focused book, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, in 2004. Here the author focuses on folk-etymological stories about the origin and evolution of certain English words and phrases, including cop, hot dog, ballyhoo, ten-gallon hat, and posh. Arranged alphabetically, each entry offers competing explanations of the word's history, with Quinion commenting on the truth behind these stories.

Book reviewers met Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds with generally positive critiques. Many picked up on the author's extensive experience writing effectively about language origins. "Quinion's research and documentation are impeccable, and when he needs to make a leap of imagination, he does so gracefully," wrote Booklist reviewer David Pitt. Other critics focused on the author's ability to enliven the study of word etymology. "Quinion offers amusing anecdotes, pieces of linguistic history, and a glimpse of how linguists judge evidence," commented Marianne Orme in a review for Library Journal.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 2004, David Pitt, review of Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, p. 289.

Electronic Learning, September, 1996, Hilary Cowan, "Michael Quinion's World Wide Words," p. 21.

Guardian (Manchester, England), July 22, 2004, Hamish Mackintosh, "Online: Talk Time," p. 19.

Library Journal, September 15, 2003, Manya S. Chylinski, review of Ologies and Isms: A Dictionary of Word Beginnings and Endings, p. 49; November 15, 2004, Marianne Orme, review of Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds, p. 61.

M2 Best Books, October 21, 2002, Ian Sanderson, review of Ologies and Isms, p. 1.

New Statesman, December 5, 1997, Richard Belfield, "The Net," p. 33.

Spectator, July 31, 2004, Digby Durrant, "Erudition without Tears," p. 32.

ONLINE

WorldWideWords.org, http://www.worldwidewords.org/(April 17, 2005).