Two Thousand One Hundred-Seven Curious Word Origins, Sayings and Expressions FROM OUR EDITORS
Have you ever wondered where such expressions as "Barking up the wrong tree," "Let the cat out of the bag," "Starting from scratch," and other sayings and words originated? This collection of 4 best-selling titles -- A Hog on Ice, Thereby Hangs a Tale, Heavens to Betsy!, and Horsefeathers, and Other Curious Words -- analyzes more than 2,000 words and expressions used daily, tracing their amusing, practical, or surprising origins. (The author, Charles Earle Funk, was the editor-in-chief of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary Series.) Here's another one: The word "dunce" is used to describe a dumb person, yet its origin can be traced to the great 13th-century Scottish philosopher John Duns Scotus! Derived from a range of sources, from classical literature, historic events, and sometimes frontier humor, each word and expression becomes a fascinating nugget of information. Filled with anecdotes and references that dictionaries simply don't have room for, this entertaining and educational volume is a must for word buffs, students, and anyone who enjoys a good word origin! As the saying goes, it "leaves no stone unturned"! Black-and-white illustrations.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
This enormous collection of almost one thousand pages contains the four previously published bestselling titles, A Hog on Ice, Thereby Hangs, A Tale, Heavens to Betsy! and Horsefeathers. How did the expression "a wild goose chase" originate? Why does the word "dunce" come from the great philosopher, Duns Scotus? Dr. Funk has taken these and over 2000 other curious words, expressions and sayings that we use in our daily speech and traced them back through the years to find their amusing, practical and surprising origins. These sayings are derived from classical sources, historic events, famous literature, frontier humor and the frailties of mankind. Take 40 Winks
Let the cat out of the bag Bark up the wrong tree Walk the chalk
Home
