A Box of Frogs: Illustrated Idioms of Birds and Animals

by Steve Palin

Overview

What is an idiom? It's a turn of phrase designed to convey a meaning which is different from the literal meaning of the words. But this is a fun take on the subject.

Artist and writer Steve Palin has combined another of his passions: his love of animals, birds and insects - to come up with a delightful book in which he has illustrated and explained his favourite wildlife idioms.

Cat among the pigeons, big fish in a small pond, a kangaroo court - these idioms have inspired some of his joyous paintings in this book, each paired with his short explanation of how the term came to be used.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781913159481
Publisher:	Merlin Unwin Books
Publication date:	11/15/2022
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 6.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Steve Palin was born in Liverpool and has spent his working life in education as a teacher, headteacher and adviser. He has been publishing his artwork for nearly 35 years and has exhibited in the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art.

His best-selling book, A Murmuration of Starlings, showcased the collective nouns of animals and birds in words and watercolours. He also wrote The Anniversary Book which is an illustrated guide to the perfect anniversary gift.

A trustee of the North Wales Wildlife Trust, he lives on Anglesey where he is developing a wildflower meadow to encourage wildlife.

Read an Excerpt

Big Fish in a Small Pond
Meaning: one who is important only within a small circle of people. Although the idea of someone of seniority or importance being termed a “big fish” has long been in existence, the small pond element is probably a nineteenth century American addition.
The reverse Small Fish in a Big Pond is sometimes also used for someone of little status in a large setting.

A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush
Meaning: having one thing for certain beats having something much better but uncertain. This is one of the oldest known idioms, deriving from a similar Bible idiom within Ecclesiastes IX: A live dog is better off than a dead lion. Its bird form first appeared in print in the seventeenth century, but was probably in use much before that as a falconry-related saying; the bird in the hand most likely being on the falconer’s fist, with the prey species being the ones in the bush.

Kangaroo Court
Meaning: an unofficial or unauthorised court, often convened hastily, that dispenses improper justice, sometimes by a mob. It is thought that the term originated in the “Wild West” of the early nineteenth century United States, when judges were paid by the number of trials conducted rather than their inherent integrity. Consequently they “hopped” from one town to another to dispense their rapid justice; the term Kangaroo Court was born!

Put One’s Head in the Lion’s Mouth
Meaning: to put oneself in an awkward, difficult or dangerous situation. This phrase originated in the 19th century after the Dutch-American animal trainer Isaac A. Van Amburgh became the first person to actually put his head inside a lion’s mouth. Said to have been inspired from an early age by the biblical story of Daniel in the lion’s den, Van Amburgh became a world-wide celebrity. Queen Victoria was a fan after he performed in London in 1838, and he was also immortalised in a painting by Landseer with his caged big cats.