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111 Idioms and Phrases and Their Fascinating Origins
Hold your horses!
Don’t judge this book by its cover!
Most likely, you've used idioms or phrases like these without considering their origins. However, if you take a moment to learn about them, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the fascinating and bizarre beginnings of these enjoyable expressions! These common idioms have some jaw-dropping and downright weird backstories that will have you enthralled!
What is a gift horse and why shouldn’t you look one in the mouth?
Why do we paint the town red, and not yellow or blue?
Why is it spilled milk we shouldn’t cry over and not water or wine?
Introducing "111 Idioms and Phrases and Their Fascinating Origins" - a curated selection of the most intriguing English idioms that have stood the test of time. This book of idioms and phrases is more than a dictionary of common sayings. We'll take you on a journey to uncover the history of each idiom, how it transformed over the years, and how it came to be used in modern-day language. Get ready to have your mind blown with some seriously cool and unexpected knowledge!
Order now and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge. Don't miss out on this exciting adventure - get your copy today!
Don’t judge this book by its cover!
Most likely, you've used idioms or phrases like these without considering their origins. However, if you take a moment to learn about them, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the fascinating and bizarre beginnings of these enjoyable expressions! These common idioms have some jaw-dropping and downright weird backstories that will have you enthralled!
What is a gift horse and why shouldn’t you look one in the mouth?
Why do we paint the town red, and not yellow or blue?
Why is it spilled milk we shouldn’t cry over and not water or wine?
Introducing "111 Idioms and Phrases and Their Fascinating Origins" - a curated selection of the most intriguing English idioms that have stood the test of time. This book of idioms and phrases is more than a dictionary of common sayings. We'll take you on a journey to uncover the history of each idiom, how it transformed over the years, and how it came to be used in modern-day language. Get ready to have your mind blown with some seriously cool and unexpected knowledge!
Order now and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge. Don't miss out on this exciting adventure - get your copy today!
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2023
32 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 29, 2023
A clever book showing the provenance of common sayings was what I thought I was getting in Louis Richards’ latest, Say What? It is a collection of “111 Everyday Idioms and Phrases and Their Fascinating Origins.”
Much of English is handed down haphazardly through generations, and twisted out of all recognition or intuition. So a book explaining the familiar-yet-incomprehensible should be instructive, if not humorous and clever. As I read, I thought this would be a good book for children. They don’t take Latin any more, but this at least would give them some idea that English wasn’t born whole just yesterday and things actually did make sense at some time or other.
Every idiom gets a page or two describing what it means and where it came from. And there’s plenty of variety. You get a dime a dozen, bite the bullet, kit and caboodle, and the wrong side of the bed – and in alphabetical order yet. Each one gets a cute illustration up top, demonstrating what it means, at least today.
But there are problems. The text formatting is inconsistent and often clumsy. Sometimes the possibilities of provenance each get their own paragraph, and sometimes they are just jammed together in one. Sometimes Richards feels the need to print the idiom repeatedly in talking about it (consuming precious space pointlessly), while other times he doesn’t mention it beyond the title. It is inconsistent. It is repetitive and uneconomical in its writing. There is nothing resembling humor in it.
But worst of all is that it is not thought through. Readers will soon realize there are very few firm answers here, just a jumble of theories and possibilities that Richards does not weigh. A lot of them should have been rejected out of hand, but here they are anyway.
Just one example. For Don’t judge a book by its cover, Richards includes this theory for its origin: “Some people believe that the phrase originated from a biblical passage. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 1, Jesus says, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ This passage suggests that people should not judge others, as they will be judged in the same way.”
No, that’s not it at all. Jesus spoke petty directly. If Jesus had meant that, Matthew 7:1 would have been “Never judge a scroll by its sheath.” Too much of a stretch, and clearly not where this saying came from. It means don’t stop at the superficial first impression, and that’s not at all what Jesus said or meant. This “theory” should not have made the cut. Or if it did, Richards should have dismissed it.
This lack of editorial discipline means very few of the idioms provide a decisive answer on provenance, which is supposedly the point of the whole exercise. Richards doesn’t ever take charge and give his own take on it. There is no commentary, no style to the text. There is really nothing worth remembering about it as written. It should have at least been fun. But it wasn’t.
It was, overall, a disappointment.
David Wineberg
If you liked this review, I invite you to read more in my book The Straight Dope. It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned. Right now it’s FREE for Prime members, otherwise — cheap! Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read. And you already know it is well-written. https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Dope-...
Much of English is handed down haphazardly through generations, and twisted out of all recognition or intuition. So a book explaining the familiar-yet-incomprehensible should be instructive, if not humorous and clever. As I read, I thought this would be a good book for children. They don’t take Latin any more, but this at least would give them some idea that English wasn’t born whole just yesterday and things actually did make sense at some time or other.
Every idiom gets a page or two describing what it means and where it came from. And there’s plenty of variety. You get a dime a dozen, bite the bullet, kit and caboodle, and the wrong side of the bed – and in alphabetical order yet. Each one gets a cute illustration up top, demonstrating what it means, at least today.
But there are problems. The text formatting is inconsistent and often clumsy. Sometimes the possibilities of provenance each get their own paragraph, and sometimes they are just jammed together in one. Sometimes Richards feels the need to print the idiom repeatedly in talking about it (consuming precious space pointlessly), while other times he doesn’t mention it beyond the title. It is inconsistent. It is repetitive and uneconomical in its writing. There is nothing resembling humor in it.
But worst of all is that it is not thought through. Readers will soon realize there are very few firm answers here, just a jumble of theories and possibilities that Richards does not weigh. A lot of them should have been rejected out of hand, but here they are anyway.
Just one example. For Don’t judge a book by its cover, Richards includes this theory for its origin: “Some people believe that the phrase originated from a biblical passage. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 1, Jesus says, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’ This passage suggests that people should not judge others, as they will be judged in the same way.”
No, that’s not it at all. Jesus spoke petty directly. If Jesus had meant that, Matthew 7:1 would have been “Never judge a scroll by its sheath.” Too much of a stretch, and clearly not where this saying came from. It means don’t stop at the superficial first impression, and that’s not at all what Jesus said or meant. This “theory” should not have made the cut. Or if it did, Richards should have dismissed it.
This lack of editorial discipline means very few of the idioms provide a decisive answer on provenance, which is supposedly the point of the whole exercise. Richards doesn’t ever take charge and give his own take on it. There is no commentary, no style to the text. There is really nothing worth remembering about it as written. It should have at least been fun. But it wasn’t.
It was, overall, a disappointment.
David Wineberg
If you liked this review, I invite you to read more in my book The Straight Dope. It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned. Right now it’s FREE for Prime members, otherwise — cheap! Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read. And you already know it is well-written. https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Dope-...
April 29, 2023
This book hits the nail on the head! Informative and fun---it kills two birds with one stone
Do you keep your ear to the ground and an ace up your sleeve? You might need to bite your tongue rather than blow your own trumpet. Do not chicken out and call it a day, but try not to drive someone up the wall. You have probably used these phrases and many more like them many times. Maybe you have wondered where they came from, or maybe you have never thought about it, but in either case I predict you will enjoy author Louis Richards’ exploration of the origins of 111 common phrases . Despite his light tone, Richards has definitely done his homework and provides some very informative answers about their origins and first usage.
This is not a book you have to read at one time, and it is a great resource to pick up when you have a little bit of time and want a diversion that is not a waste of time or if you want to look up a specific term. You can impress your friends with your erudition the next time one of them uses one of the phrases.
PS I must disagree with the author in one respect, though. He opens the Introduction by saying , “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. In his case, I must beg to disagree. The cat on the cover who has “got your tongue” sets the perfect tone for potential readers!
Do you keep your ear to the ground and an ace up your sleeve? You might need to bite your tongue rather than blow your own trumpet. Do not chicken out and call it a day, but try not to drive someone up the wall. You have probably used these phrases and many more like them many times. Maybe you have wondered where they came from, or maybe you have never thought about it, but in either case I predict you will enjoy author Louis Richards’ exploration of the origins of 111 common phrases . Despite his light tone, Richards has definitely done his homework and provides some very informative answers about their origins and first usage.
This is not a book you have to read at one time, and it is a great resource to pick up when you have a little bit of time and want a diversion that is not a waste of time or if you want to look up a specific term. You can impress your friends with your erudition the next time one of them uses one of the phrases.
PS I must disagree with the author in one respect, though. He opens the Introduction by saying , “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. In his case, I must beg to disagree. The cat on the cover who has “got your tongue” sets the perfect tone for potential readers!
June 2, 2024
I was disappointed in this book. I expected to learn new information about words, but the examples he used were largely understandable through common sense. I was hoping to encounter new phrases with a more in-depth analysis of their origins but I didn't.
May 3, 2023
Interesting and not my usual genre but a fun and informative read.
November 4, 2024
Super Interesting
I love learning new things, and this book was a great way to do it. It was fun to read about the origins of everyday phrases and sayings. Definitely recommend!
I love learning new things, and this book was a great way to do it. It was fun to read about the origins of everyday phrases and sayings. Definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews