Made in AmericaBill Bryson, who gave glorious voice to The Mother Tongue, now celebrates her magnificent offspring in the book that reveals once and for all how a dusty western hamlet with neither woods nor holly came to be known as Hollywood...and exactly why Mr. Yankee Doodle call his befeathered cap "Macaroni." |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 13 | |
| 30 | |
Making a Nation | 48 |
Forging a National | 64 |
The Age of Invention | 82 |
Names | 100 |
Taming the West | 119 |
Manners and Other Matters | 219 |
Advertising in America | 235 |
The Movies | 248 |
Sport and Play | 263 |
Politics and War | 287 |
Sex and Other Distractions | 304 |
From Kitty Hawk to the Jumbo Jet | 324 |
The 1950s | 334 |
Immigration in America | 134 |
Travel in America | 156 |
Eating in America | 180 |
Shopping in America | 206 |
American English Today | 352 |
Select Bibliography | 385 |
Index | 395 |
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Common terms and phrases
advertising Algonquian Amer American English American Heritage appears ball baseball became become began Benjamin Franklin Bill Bryson Boorstin Boston Britain British Burma-Shave called Cinerama City coined colonial colonists communities decade developed Dictionary Dutch early electric England expression fact film Flexner Franklin French German H. L. Mencken half Hays Office highway House hundred Ibid idea immigrants Indians invented Jefferson John kinetophone known late later least less linguistic live Mayflower McDonald's Mencken miles million modern movie never nickelodeon nineteenth century North noted originally Page Smith passenger patent Pennsylvania Pennsylvania German percent Pilgrims political popular President pronounced pronunciation Puritans radio recorded restaurants roads sense shopping center Shredded Wheat Smith sometimes Spanish speech spelled Squanto television term thing Thomas Jefferson thousand tion took town United Virginia Washington West words York