Renowned linguist Eugene Ehrlich once again delves into the peculiar origins of the words we use every day. Mining the English language to turn up a colorful cast of characters, Ehrlich finds the historic and literary figures who have given their names to our language in the interest of keeping it vibrant and alive.From Achilles' heel to Bowie's knives, from Amelia Jenks Bloomer's bloomers to Reverend William Archibald Spooner's spoonerisms, Ehrlich pays his own unique and insightful tribute to those who have influenced our daily speech patterns in ways they could never have imagined.A humorous look at the sometimes haphazard development of the English language, What's in a Name? will appeal to both history and language buffs.