A funny, entertaining and often surprising way to discover more about the history and meaning of language. SUSIE DENT'S WEIRD WORDS takes readers on a rip-roaring tour through some of the most astonishing, amusing and sometimes quite revolting origins of English words. Did you know, for instance, that 'fizzle' originally meant to fart silently? Over time, it came to describe a weak, spluttering, hissing sound. And you might think that 'ain't' isn't a word you should use, but it is thought the word was once used by kings and queens. As Susie Dent knows, even the most ordinary-sounding word can have the most extraordinary story behind it.