Author: Neil Ewart Publisher: ISBN: 9780713713541 Category : English language Languages : en Pages : 162
Book Description
Explains the meaning and implication of 400 phrases commonly used throughout the English-speaking world, such as: eager beaver and sour grapes.
Author: James McGuire Publisher: Cider Mill Press ISBN: 1400252148 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 145
Book Description
The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions uncovers the fascinating, humorous, and often unbelievable origin stories behind the English language's most common sayings! Nobody thinks twice about sayings like bite the bullet and the cat's out of the bag. But the strange and wonderful origins of these expressions are far from arbitrary: They are rooted in forgotten history. Within this book, you will discover the origins of idioms like: Why we say an unwell person is under the weather. It goes back to when sickly sailors and seafarers had to rest below deck! How come sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle is called riding shotgun." In the Wild West, passengers had a crucial job: packing heat and preventing highway robberies! What's up with the phrase, cat got your tongue. Here's a hint: It doesn't have anything to do with cats! With over 100 pieces of original artwork, The Illustrated Histories of Everyday Expressions is as beautiful as it is entertaining and informative. Read up on this fascinating history of the English language's 64 most popular idioms, and you will know what it really means when you say pass with flying colors, bury the hatchet, and rest on your laurels!
Author: Olga Ragusa Publisher: Courier Corporation ISBN: 9780486252766 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 80
Book Description
This language-learning system offers the chance to quickly and efficiently develop the practical Italian needed for travel. 2 CDs with 90 minutes of material feature phrases and sentences spoken first in English and then in Italian, followed by a pause for repetition. The accompanying 80-page manual contains each word and phrase on the CDs.
Author: Richard A. Spears Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional ISBN: 0071783547 Category : Foreign Language Study Languages : en Pages : 430
Book Description
With more than 7,000 up-to-date phrases, this dictionary covers situations from talking to a doctor to ordering a meal, and helps learners communicate personal feelings, and make small talk.
Author: Andrew Thompson Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1612436951 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 168
Book Description
Discover hundreds of entertaining and often hilarious etymological journeys, by the bestselling author of Can Holding in a Fart Kill You? English is filled with curious, intriguing and bizarre phrases. This book reveals the surprising, captivating and even hilarious origins behind 400 of them, including: • Read between the Lines • Cat Got Your Tongue? • Put a Sock in It • Close, but No Cigar • Bring Home the Bacon • Caught Red-Handed • Under the Weather • Raining Cats and Dogs Perfect for trivia and language lovers alike, this entertaining collection is the ultimate guide to understanding these baffling mini mysteries of the English language.
Author: Mark Abley Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1501172298 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 272
Book Description
Phrases, idioms, and clichés—why do we say the things we say? Watch Your Tongue explores weird and wonderful everyday sayings and what they reveal about us. Do you ever wonder why you shouldn’t have a cow but you should seize a bull by its horns? Who has the better reputation in language—cats or dogs? Do you sometimes feel that our speech is all smoke and mirrors or that our expressions simply make no sense? In Watch Your Tongue, award-winning author Mark Abley explores the phrases, idioms, and clichés of our everyday language. With wit and subtle wisdom, he unravels the mysteries of these expressions, illuminating the history, tradition and stories behind everything we say. Pulling examples from Shakespeare’s plays to sports team names, ancient Rome to Twitter, Abley shares samples and anecdotes of the eccentric ways that we play with, parse, and pattern language. Why do so many companies use fruit for their brand names? What do politicians mean when they say they’re going to “drain the swamp”? Why does English use chickens to signify cowardice? Abley dives into the history and psychology behind these examples and countless others, unpacking their significance (and sheer absurdity) to show how our language developed, where it is headed, and what we can learn about ourselves from it. Whimsically illustrated, easily browsable, and full of catchy sidebars, Watch Your Tongue celebrates how we amuse ourselves with words and what our sayings reveal about the way we see the world.
Author: Sally Mooney Publisher: ISBN: 9780648931300 Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Have you ever wondered why we say, "It's raining cats and dogs" and other funny old sayings like, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"? Often we know what they mean, but do we know where they originated?Well in this book, you are about to find out!For example, when we want to wish someone a good nights sleep, people often say, "Night night, sleep tight." Who would have thought that this dates back to Shakespeare's time, when mattresses were secured onto a bed frame by ropes. In order to make the bed firmer and more comfortable, people would have to pull on the ropes to tighten the mattress and hence the saying came about.This delightful book is full of well known sayings, beautifully matched with fun and original illustrations, which will make you laugh out loud. Part of the fun is seeing whether you can guess the saying just from looking at the picture.This book will appeal to lovers of trivia, history and language. It makes the perfect little gift for the someone that has everything! Keep it in on the coffee table and provide a little bit of amusement for all!Learn a little trivia, keep history alive.
Author: Patricia Lorenz Publisher: Publications International ISBN: 9781450802925 Category : Self-Help Languages : en Pages : 384
Book Description
Positive Quotes for Every Day contains an inspiring quote for each day of the year, and each quote is followed by a reflection and an action step to help keep the reader focused on the positive throughout the year. This book presents quotations that will comfort and encourage readers, no matter what circumstances they encounter each day. Varied sources are quoted, from Aristotle to Mark Twain to Mohandas Gandhi to Mae West. Positive Quotes for Every Day not only presents the reader with brilliant quotes, it gives readers action steps to help readers apply the quotes to their daily lives. This title explores various circumstances, emotions, and themes--from dealing with grief to handling disappointment to finding joy in the little things every day. Positive Quotes for Every Day is portable, and a ribbon bookmark is attached.
Author: Neil Ewart
Author: James McGuire
Author: Olga Ragusa
Author: Richard A. Spears
Author: Andrew Thompson
Author: Charles N. Lurie
Author: Mark Abley
Author: 
Author: Sally Mooney
Author: Patricia Lorenz