hawks
haggard
WORDS · LANGUAGE · ETYMOLOGY
ABOUT
WHO?
Hi! I’m Paul Anthony Jones. You probably know me better as Haggard Hawks. I’m a writer and language blogger, and the author of eight books about language and etymology: Haggard Hawks (2013) and its sequel Jedburgh Justice (2014); language trivia book Word Drops (2015); The Accidental Dictionary (2016); language yearbook The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities (2017); etymological journey Around the World in 80 Words (2018); and The Cabinet of Calm (2020), a collection of hopeful and inspiring words. If you want to know more about me or have any questions about me or my work, head across to paulanthonyjones.com.
WHAT?
Haggard Hawks is dedicated to obscure words, language trivia, and etymological stories. All the words you read about here are genuine—it’s the aim of HH to pull our language’s most intriguing words and phrases out of obscurity.
WHERE?
You can now track HH down on Twitter, Instagram, and this website. (You can now find the HH blog under the Words heading in the menu.)
WHEN?
Haggard Hawks fluttered into life back in 2013, alongside the release of word origins book Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons. (FYI, haggard is one of those words we owe to falconry, hence the name.) What started as a short-term bit of fun during the publicity run for the book has now become everything you see here.
WHY?
I first became interested in language as a kid, when I was given a dictionary for Christmas and sat and read it cover to cover. (Yes, I was that kind of kid.) That interest in language has never gone away: I have a degree in English language and a Masters in linguistics from the University of Newcastle, and now I put all those years of study to good use in the most fun and unexpected way imaginable—writing books, articles, tweets and blogposts about language, etymology, and obscure words, and talking about words and language on the radio.
HOW?
Want to get in touch? Have another question about me, HH, or something you’ve seen on Twitter? Want to interview me or have any other media inquiries? Just get in touch: click through to the Contact link above, or email me direct at the link below.