José da Fonseca

English as she is spoke; or, a jest in sober earnest

"English as she is spoke; or, a jest in sober earnest" by Fonseca and Carolino is a Portuguese-English phrase book published in 1855. Intended as a practical conversational guide, it became instead a legendary monument to hilariously mistaken translation. The author appears to have used a French-English dictionary to translate a Portuguese-French phrase book, producing absurd results like "raining in jars" and "to craunch a marmoset." Mark Twain declared it perfect in its unintentional comedy, noting that "nobody can add to the absurdity of this book."