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Common Phrases: And Where They Come From

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Common Phrases: And Where They Come From

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By: Myron Korach

(14 customer reviews)

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EDITORIAL REVIEW

Discover the fascinating stories behind hundreds of commonly used words and phrases.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Publisher: The Lyons Press
Pub. Date: 1st September 2002
Catalog: Book
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 224
Ean: 9781585746828
Isbn: 1585746827

ABOUT THIS BOOK

USER REVIEWS

Uncommonly delightful
~ Written on Sep 15, 2009. out of users found this review helpful.

We found the book loads of fun ... gave it to a wonedrful friend whid is an avid reader ... she loved it and refers to it often...

Pitts-Malone: Back on the sauce
~ Written on Mar 8, 2007. out of 3 users found this review helpful.

Clearly Pitts-Malone has been hitting the bottle. This was the most tedious read I've ever encountered on the porcelain God.

Common Phrases and Where They Come From
~ Written on Feb 5, 2007. 2 out of 3 users found this review helpful.

I was very disappointed in this book. Most of the phrases he choose to research were either uninteresting and obvious, or so obscure, I didn't really care about their origins.

Common Phrases: And Where They Come From
~ Written on Jan 31, 2007. 2 out of 2 users found this review helpful.

I found this book interesting but believe that in some cases the given derivation of, especially phrases, is either incomplete - there could be another one or two derivations - or inaccurate. A case in point is the phrase "Mind your Ps and Qs". Many a historian of handset print have said that it also refers to not confusing the lower case letters P and Q when setting type as they are backwards when viewed front on. I find the book "What We Say" by Webb Garrison to be more accurate in my opinion.

A hobbyist's speculation about origins
~ Written on Nov 24, 2006. 7 out of 7 users found this review helpful.

This is a non-scholarly, non-academic collection of word origins compiled in the 1940s by a lawyer. Many of the expressions are out of date ("go to the dickens," "catch a tarter"). Explanations for many of the origins are simply speculative, with dubious support. Probably the greatest value for this book is as material for small talk or trivia questions. Save your money and check it out from a library.

Common Phrases: And Where They Come From

EDITORIAL REVIEW

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ABOUT THIS BOOK

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