Draft:Paul Anthony Jones

Paul Anthony Jones, MLitt (born 8 August 1983) is an English writer, etymologist, broadcaster, and podcaster.

He is the author of nine books on linguistics, the origins of words, and the history of the English language, and is the founder of the popular language blog and Twitter/X account @HaggardHawks.

Early life and education
Jones was born in South Shields in 1983. He attended Newcastle University first as an undergraduate, studying English language, and then as a postgraduate, completing an MLitt course in English language and linguistics in 2009.

Having initially planned a career in academia, Jones instead left his postgraduate studies to write about language and linguistics for a mass audience. He later wrote about his experiences in feeling frustrated about the academic world in his best-selling guide to linguistics, Why is This a Question?, in 2022.

He published his first book on word origins, Haggard Hawks and Paltry Poltroons, in 2013, the same year in which he founded the HaggardHawks Twitter feed. The account has since amassed more than 90,000 followers and become a mainstay of the online linguistic community.

Career
To date, Jones has published nine books with a tenth, A Winter Dictionary, due for publication in October 2024.

In 2023, Jones also self-published a collection of word games and language puzzles, The Haggard Hawks Book of Brainteasers, to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. The project was produced in memory of Jones’ father, who passed away from a rare and highly aggressive form of small cell neuroendocrine cancer in 2019.

Jones regularly appears in both print and broadcast media, including a twice-weekly slot on BBC Radio Newcastle. He has also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live program, as well as BBC Radio London, BBC Leeds, and Scala Radio, which named his eighth book, The Cabinet of Calm, as one of the best books of the year in 2020.

He has also written extensively on the subject of words and language for the i, the Independent, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, and for Mental Floss in the United States.

Jones is also the co-host of the comedy trivia podcast Yes or BS.

Books

 * The British Isles: A Trivia Gazetteer (2012)
 * Haggard Hawks & Paltry Poltroons (2013)
 * Jedburgh Justice & Kentish Fire (2014)
 * Word Drops (2015)
 * The Accidental Dictionary (2016)
 * The Cabinet of Linguistic Curiosities (2017)
 * Around the World in 80 Words (2018)
 * The Cabinet of Calm (2020)
 * Why is This a Question? (2022)
 * A Winter Dictionary (2024)

Personal life
Jones lives in Jesmond in Newcastle upon Tyne. Alongside language and writing, he is a keen runner, and a classically trained pianist.