From Ballderdash & Piffle, Alex Games, BBC Books, 2006:
For centuries the English language had been a snotty-nosed child, running around the room shouting anything that sounded funny. It had take masive liberties with spelling, and if you had asked it for the etymology of a particular word, it would have stared at you as if you were mad.
Has there ever been a better way to personify the English language, than a snotty-nosed child?!?
i'll see you sunday babe, thanx for the pic!