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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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cor anglais
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(French for 'English horn') Only the name wins this orchestral instrument a place in this encyclopedia, for it is not in fact English; nor is it a horn. It is a woodwind instrument, a member of the oboe family, deriving from Italy in the 18C. The early versions were somewhat horn-like in shape, but no convincing explanation has been found for the supposed link with England; the most common suggestion is that the angle between the reed and the instrument caused it to become known as anglé (for 'angled'), but the word does not exist in French.
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