A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions

This and HORSEFEATHERS are great companion books for A BROWSER'S DICTIONARY. If you love to read, have a curiosity about language and love words, you'll love this book.

I had no idea "hell-bent" came from a campaign slogan.... or why a hog on ice would be particularly independent... This is an even more professional compendium than I had expected! Its approach reminds me of Oxford's, by including the earliest *known* usage and context. Colloquialism is a tricky field-- because it spreads from person-to-person, by nature, nobody can know ABSOLUTELY where a slang came from, or the first-ever usage and context, etc. I don't suppose it'd be very interesting to people who say "like, y'know" or "HellOOooo" or "a'ight" regularly. But it's great for those of us who think before we speak, and want to know why we speak as we do.

When I purchased "Hog on Ice", I expected a book with hundreds of expressions along with the historical origin of each. The books does indeed have hundreds of expressions and what they mean, but the author, when describing the origin, rarely gives a definite answer. The origins frequently have phrases like, "probably came from", "could have been", "it is likely that", etc. A great book if you only want to be entertained by learning new expressions and the meaning behind some you already know. As a historical reference, however, you may want to check out Garrisons' "Why you Say It".

If you've ever wondered about the origin of the expressions that you've used, misused or abused, this is the definitive resource to set the record straight.

a great gift for someone you've caught using a malaprop/malapropism...i'm sending a copy to a friend right now who told me he's "chomping at the bit"...