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In general, web sites on word and phrase origins are good, but not comprehensive: most of them are question services of a sort, and the answers are posted on the site. Some of these archives can be quite large, and not necessarily organized by anything more than date of posting; if you're looking for something specific, use the find function on your browser (this will be a button in Netscape; in Internet Explorer, it's under the "edit" pull-down menu).
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
http://www.bibliomania.com/Reference/PhraseAndFable
From the 1894 work of the same name; this is extensively cross-referenced,
and excellent for phrases which have their roots in literature or
mythology.
The Word Detective
http://www.word-detective.com
This is the online version of the column of the same name; it covers word
and phrase origins, as well as general language questions. The site
features the newest columns, a sizeable archive of past columns, and an
"Ask the Word Detective" link, by which readers can send in their
questions.
Word for Word
http://plateaupress.com.au/wfw/wfwindex.htm
Another online column featuring word and phrase origins; it has an archive
of past questions and answers, as well as a forum (which also has an
archive).
Wordwatch
http://titania.cobuild.collins.co.uk/wordwatch.html
Each week, a different word or phrase is, in the words of the page, "held
up for inspection and comment." This site covers both etymology and usage
questions.
Verbivore
http://pw1.netcom.com/~rlederer/index.htm
This site primarily features the colmns of Richard Lederer, which are both
informative and extremely funny, with an "Ask the Verbivore" link; in
addition, there are links to all manner of other language-related sites.
Wilton's Word & Phrase Origins
http://www.wordorigins.org/
This web page includes an extensive collection of well-researched word and phrase origins, from "Bob's Your Uncle" to the "Whole Nine Yards". The author also takes questions via e-mail.
The Wordwizard
http://www.wordwizard.com/
Among other word resources, this site contains a searchable archive of "Ask the Wordwizard" answers to word origin questions, as well as a "Wordwizard Clubhouse" where users can post a question for other visitors to answer.
World Wide Words
http://www.worldwidewords.org/
This extensive site provides information on the origins of numerous words and phrases. It's best to use the site index if you want to quickly look for a particular word or phrase, rather than the indexes to each individual section. The author also accepts questions via e-mail, and maintains a mailing list.
Take Our Word For It
http://www.takeourword.com/index.html
This site offers a weekly webzine where the authors answer questions about word origins. It also has an extensive, searchable archive. Unfortunately, it's a not a great site to use if you want an answer that cites specific, reputable sources for their information, since they rarely tell you where their info came from.
To look for the origin of a specific word or phrase on the web,
use a search engine such as
HotBot
(http://www.hotbot.com/), and
try searching on the word or phrase in question, plus "etymology" or
"origin":
+"it aint over til the fat lady sings" +"origin"
+serendipity +etymology
The Oxford English Dictionary
2nd edition: Oxford University Press, 1995.
This is the reference source on word origin. It is several
volumes long; for each word, it provides the definitions, the etymology,
and several examples of historical usage which show how the word has
changed over time.
Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origin
2nd edition: Harper and Row, 1988.
Provides the etymology of both words and phrases, and is more up-to-date
than many similar sources.
Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English
University of Chicago Press, 1956.
Though not especially current, this is still very useful, particularly for
phrase origin; like the Oxford English Dictionary, it provides
examples of historical usage, including first appearance in print.
Dictionary of Contemporary Slang
London: Bloomsbury, 1997.
Much more current than Partridge, but provides far less detail; it gives a
definition of the phrase and its first appearance in print, but no
extensive list of historical usage.
If you wish to locate similar books, they can be found
under the 412's in a public library, and
the Library of Congress call numbers starting with PE
1000 in most university libraries.
If you wish to look up similar titles in either a
card catalog or an on-line library catalog, the official Library
of
Congress Subject Headings under which they can be found are:
English language--Etymology--Dictionaries
English language--Words and Phrases
English language--Slang--Dictionaries
This pathfinder created by Deb DeGeorge
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