New Releases by R. W. Holder

This is a study of the language of evasion, hypocrisy, prudery and deceit. It dissects the human tendency to prefer vague, roundabout expressions rather than use words which are precise and disagreeably true.

On 25 March 1997, Michael Donoghue, Managing Director of Somerset-based haulier Langdons, watched while eight of the firm’s articulated prime movers and 28 of its curtain-sided trailers were sold at auction. The bidding was brisk because the equipment was relatively new and in good order. When the hammer descended on the last lot, the sale had generated £284,000 plus VAT. Langdons had become too much of a threat for there not to be a certain amount of schadenfreude among some of the company’s competitors attending the auction, but there was also much sympathy for Michael, who was well known in the industry and well liked. Eleven years earlier Michael had led a management buyout of Langdons and had then overseen the transformation of an unprofitable jobbing transport business which operated an assortment of hired and obsolete equipment and was heavily dependent on owner-drivers. With its new vehicles and smart livery, Langdons’ reputation for reliability meant the firm was soon picking up too many major contracts for the ease of mind of its competitors. This book follows the company’s success and tells how Langdons achieved it.

This fascinating book tells the lives of Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Peter Roget, George Smith, James Murray and Joseph Wright, not simply as biography but by looking at their careers and freindships in the industrial, political, artistic, and social environment of their times.

We often use euphemisms when dealing with taboo or sensitive subjects--we speak of "full-figured" women, we "fudge" on our income tax, we get "cold feet" before our wedding. Here, author Holder celebrates this human tendency to use mild, vague, or roundabout expressions rather than those which are blunt, precise, and true. The dictionary provides definitions, examples, as well as historical explanations where appropriate.--From publisher description.

Because in the early 19th century a rector had surplus apples in his glebe, and because, fifty years later, a nearby farmerâe(tm)s daughter was unable to get a good price for her eggs locally, two substantial businesses developed in West Somerset: the Taunton Cider Company Ltd., and the national road haulage and logistics firm, Langdons. âeoe... an invaluable historical record which provides an interesting and fascinating read.âe Somerset County Gazette

Lists definitions for thousands of euphemisms and includes quotations, derivations, and historical explanations