Why Do We Say It: The Stories Behind the Words, Expressions and Cliches We Use

I remember my uncle giving me this book when I was younger. I was so happy to be able to get another copy from Amazon.com. How often do you ask "why do we say that"? This book covers many of the sayings we use and explains their origin.

With respect to reviewers who found this book 'interesting' and 'informative', this book is not to be trusted as an authoritative source for any given information. I have a collection of several other books whose purpose is to explain word and phrase origins and all of the respectable ones warrant, with admirable frequency, that the origin of such-and-such phrase is unknown or in dispute. Often multiple possible etymologies are given as possibilities.

This book, by contrast, never questions its own authority. It just hands down decrees on phrase origins--some of which I cross-checked against other sources in my collection and found contradictory evidence or reports that the explanation given here had been discredited long ago!

Even more alarmingly, this source lists no sources. There is no author or editor listed. No prefatory or post-script explanation of how this collection came to be. No credits, acknowledgments, or history of printing. Nothing. From the sheer number of entries that had, by the time of this printing (1985) completely disappeared from common speech, one must assume that the text was originally published decades previous, had fallen into public domain, and was reprinted for no other reason than to make a quick buck.

In short, like horoscopes and the National Enquirer, this book is recommended FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.

I gave this book to my husband because he loves this type of stuff. He gives it the big thumbs up!

Now my daughter knows why I have said some of the things I have. I looked for a long time for a book like this to explain my strange language. Ha ha

I bought this book because I enjoy knowing about the origins of phrases and the price was right. I should have saved my money as this book, while having some interesting information, never seems to have the phrases that I pull it off the shelf to check. I was disappointed.