Eric Partridge (February 6, 1894-1979) was a lexicographer born on the North Island of New Zealand. He moved to Australia in 1905 and studied at the Universities of Queensland and Oxford. Partridge taught for three years as a school teacher before serving in the Australian infantry during the First World War. Afterwards, he continued his studies as a fellow at the University of Oxford, earning himself eventual lecturing positions at the Universities of Manchester and London. In 1927 he founded the Scholartis Press , which he managed until it closed in 1931. In 1932 he became a full-time writer, occupying the same desk (K1) in the Reading Room of the British Museum almost daily for the next fifty years. This was interrupted only by his service in the army and the RAF during World War II. He wrote over forty books on the English language, including works on etymology and slang.

Works

Origins: An etymological dictionary of Modern English (1958)