# Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons

Canonical: https://www.bookquiver.com/paul-anthony-jones/haggard-hawks-and-paltry-poltroons

![Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons](https://quivercdn.com/covers/constable/paul-anthony-jones/haggard-hawks-and-paltry-poltroons_978-14-7210-941-5.jpg?v=2026-05-18%2003%3A34%3A45)

- Authors: [Paul Anthony Jones](https://www.bookquiver.com/paul-anthony-jones)
- Language: en_GB
- Published: 2013-10-17

## Description

What do the following ten words all have in common - haggard, mews, codger, arouse, musket, poltroon, gorge, allure, pounce and turn-tail? All fairly familiar and straightforward words, after a little digging into their histories it turns out that all of them derive from falconry: the adjective haggard described an adult falcon captured from the wild; mews were the enclosures hawks were kept in whilst moulting; codger is thought to come from 'cadger', the member of a hunting party who carried the birds' perches, and so on. This, essentially, is what Ten Words is all about - the book collects together hundreds of the most intriguing, surprising and little known histories and etymologies of a whole host of English words. From ancient place names to unusual languages, and obscure professions to military slang, this is a fascinating treasure trove of linguistic facts.

## Editions

### Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons

- Publisher: constable
- Medium: ebook
- ISBN: 978-14-7210-941-5
- Published: 2013-10-17
- Language: en_GB