Do you know why a mortgage is literally a death pledge? why guns have girls names? why salt is related to soldier? You re about to find out The Etymologicon (e-t?- ma-la-ji-kan) is: *Witty (wi-te): Full of clever humor*Erudite (er-?-dit): Showing knowledge*Ribald (ri-b?ld): Crude, offensive The Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange underpinnings of the English language. It explains: how you get from gruntled to disgruntled; why you are absolutely right to believe that your meager salary barely covers money for salt; how the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world (hint: Seattle) connects to whaling in Nantucket; and what precisely the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.