Word Nerd Fun

I enjoy checking Brian P. Cleary’s Facebook page. Here are a few recent tidbits I found especially interesting:

“Had me in stitches?” STITCH originally meant a sharp thrust or puncture. Nearly 1,000 years ago, the word meant an acute pain in the side, as if stabbed. So if someone “has you in stitches,” it’s a metaphor for side-splitting laughter.

The word PAPARAZZI originated in the 1960 film La Dolce Vita directed by Federico Fellini. One of the characters in the film is a news photographer named Paparazzo. Fellini took the name from an Italian dialect word that describes the annoying sound of a buzzing mosquito.

When Brian’s not updating his Facebook page (just kidding, Brian!), we do our best to keep him busy writing books. Here are his new books for fall:

Click on the book covers above for more information.