Signed copies of Toujours Tingo & The Meaning of Tingo

All copies purchased on this site are signed by the author. 

Toujours Tingo

Adam Jacot de Boinod

Did you know, that in Germany a young man with suspiciously good manners is called 'Tantenverfûrhrer' (literally, aunt seducer), that in Namibia there is a word for walking on tiptoe through warm sand or that, in Welsh, 'gwarlingo' is the rushing sound a grandfather clock makes before striking the hour. Whether you are 'physiggomai' (Ancient Greek - excited by eating garlic) or 'knedlikovy' (Czech - rather partial to dumplings) there are words here to charm and amuse everyone.

Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 280 languages and packed with charming illustrations, Toujours Tingo is the perfect book for anyone interested in words, language or the world around them.

Penguin 2007

ISBN 9780140515862

Hbk £10.99

The Meaning of Tingo

Adam Jacot de Boinod

Did you know that people in Indonesia have a word that means 'to take off your clothes in order to dance'? Or how many words the Albanians have for eyebrows and moustaches? Or that the Dutch word for skimming stones is plimpplamppletteren?

Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 154 languages, this intriguing book is arranged by theme so you can compare attitudes all over the world to such subjects as food, the human body and the battle of the sexes. Here you can find not only those words for which there is no direct counterpart in English (such as the Japanese age-otori which means looking less attractive after a haircut), but also a frank discussion of exactly how many 'Eskimo' terms there are for snow, and a vast array of information exploring the wonderful and often downright strange world of words. Oh, and tingo means 'to take all the objects one desires from the house of a friend, one at a time, by asking to borrow them'.

Penguin 2006

ISBN 0141021985

Pbk £6.99