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Behind the Curtain of Common Sayings: Uncovering the Secret History Behind Idioms, Origins of Words and Phrases
Ever wondered why we say crocodile tears, spill the beans, or let the cat out of the bag?
The origins of more than one hundred words and phrases just like these are explained and explored in this fascinating collection of word histories and etymologies!
Behind the Curtain of Common Sayings pulls back the veil on the wild, hilarious, and sometimes downright bizarre origins of the expressions we use every day. From ancient mishaps to medieval mischief, you will discover the strange history behind the words that roll off our tongues without a second thought.
From the Achilles heel to crying wolf, this anthology takes in phrases from across the entire history of our language, while encompassing topics such as literature, mythology, sports, games, folklore, and much, much more.
Slang expressions and classical proverbs are included here too, as well as two fascinating appendices looking exclusively at fifteen quintessential American expressions (like 23-skiddoo and buying the farm), and a further fifteen quintessential Britishisms (like taking the biscuit and Bob’s your uncle!).
More than 100 words, phrases, and expressions are explained here.Arranged in thematic alphabetical order, phrase by phrase.Separate sections deal with American and British English expressions too.Easy, conversational, and non-technical explanations make the stories accessible to everyone.Beautifully presented and illustrated throughout.The ideal gift for language lovers and word hounds!
Packed with fun facts and surprising stories, Behind the Curtain of Common Sayings is perfect for language lovers, trivia buffs, and anyone who has ever wondered how telling someone to break a leg became a sign of good luck.
Are you ready to take a peek behind the curtain? Get ready to laugh, learn, and never hear a common saying the same way again!
The origins of more than one hundred words and phrases just like these are explained and explored in this fascinating collection of word histories and etymologies!
Behind the Curtain of Common Sayings pulls back the veil on the wild, hilarious, and sometimes downright bizarre origins of the expressions we use every day. From ancient mishaps to medieval mischief, you will discover the strange history behind the words that roll off our tongues without a second thought.
From the Achilles heel to crying wolf, this anthology takes in phrases from across the entire history of our language, while encompassing topics such as literature, mythology, sports, games, folklore, and much, much more.
Slang expressions and classical proverbs are included here too, as well as two fascinating appendices looking exclusively at fifteen quintessential American expressions (like 23-skiddoo and buying the farm), and a further fifteen quintessential Britishisms (like taking the biscuit and Bob’s your uncle!).
More than 100 words, phrases, and expressions are explained here.Arranged in thematic alphabetical order, phrase by phrase.Separate sections deal with American and British English expressions too.Easy, conversational, and non-technical explanations make the stories accessible to everyone.Beautifully presented and illustrated throughout.The ideal gift for language lovers and word hounds!
Packed with fun facts and surprising stories, Behind the Curtain of Common Sayings is perfect for language lovers, trivia buffs, and anyone who has ever wondered how telling someone to break a leg became a sign of good luck.
Are you ready to take a peek behind the curtain? Get ready to laugh, learn, and never hear a common saying the same way again!
145 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 16, 2025
121 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 21, 2025
‘Straight from the horse’s mouth’ – understanding our slang!
Author Bill O’Neill has authored many books on Trivia and stands as an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, wars, rock music, simply random trivia facts and US States. Now with a nod to providing interesting reading material while passing the time at home, Bill offers a cascade of popular terms that provide not only entertainment but also insights into our language!
As he states in the introduction, ‘The English language is full of bizarre phrases and expressions’ (like cutting to the chase and cut to the mustard) ‘whose meanings we might know – so we can deploy them without thinking in everyday conversation! – but whose origins seem utterly mysterious or downright impossible to figure out…’ Well, in this immensely entertaining (and informative!) book Bill takes on lots of phrases, explains how we use them, and how they originated. A few examples – the bee’s knees, mad as a hatter, the elephant in the room, gaslighting (finally we know the meaning!), to face the music, dead ringer, the peanut gallery, and more. The spectrum of sayings, even Americanisms and Britishisms, is vast and the explanations of origins are both entertaining and informative. This is a must read for curious people!
Author Bill O’Neill has authored many books on Trivia and stands as an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, wars, rock music, simply random trivia facts and US States. Now with a nod to providing interesting reading material while passing the time at home, Bill offers a cascade of popular terms that provide not only entertainment but also insights into our language!
As he states in the introduction, ‘The English language is full of bizarre phrases and expressions’ (like cutting to the chase and cut to the mustard) ‘whose meanings we might know – so we can deploy them without thinking in everyday conversation! – but whose origins seem utterly mysterious or downright impossible to figure out…’ Well, in this immensely entertaining (and informative!) book Bill takes on lots of phrases, explains how we use them, and how they originated. A few examples – the bee’s knees, mad as a hatter, the elephant in the room, gaslighting (finally we know the meaning!), to face the music, dead ringer, the peanut gallery, and more. The spectrum of sayings, even Americanisms and Britishisms, is vast and the explanations of origins are both entertaining and informative. This is a must read for curious people!
April 26, 2025
Some interesting sayings
I like these kind of books, because the phrases in it are some that I have heard over the years and it is kind of nice to know how they came about. Now to say that the sources of these phrases are ones I have never heard is not true. Many of them I am familiar with and others I'm not. Still it is interesting to read about them again. So if you are curious about how come people say that so and so is a dead ringer for somebody and the like you might want to read this book and find out why.
I like these kind of books, because the phrases in it are some that I have heard over the years and it is kind of nice to know how they came about. Now to say that the sources of these phrases are ones I have never heard is not true. Many of them I am familiar with and others I'm not. Still it is interesting to read about them again. So if you are curious about how come people say that so and so is a dead ringer for somebody and the like you might want to read this book and find out why.
June 15, 2025
A short little book with some interesting information and history on where some of our commonly used phrases derive. Not for everyone, but something I found fairly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews