Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases

by Andrew Thompson

Overview

Discover hundreds of intriguing, entertaining, and often hilarious origins to the English language's most curious phrases in this fascinating trivia book from bestselling author Andrew Thompson.

English is filled with curious, intriguing and bizarre phrases. This book reveals the surprising, captivating and even hilarious origins behind 400 of them, including:

• Read between the Lines
• Cat Got Your Tongue?
• Put a Sock in It
• Close, but No Cigar
• Bring Home the Bacon
• Caught Red-Handed
• Under the Weather
• Raining Cats and Dogs

Perfect for trivia and language lovers alike, this entertaining collection is the ultimate guide to understanding these baffling mini mysteries of the English language.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612436685
Publisher:	Ulysses Press
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	244,086
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Andrew Thompson practices law but his obsession with finding out the truth about aspects of the world that we take for granted has led him to accumulate a vast body of knowledge that he has at last distilled into book form.

Table of Contents

Introduction Start from Scratch: Meaning Versus Origin 1

Chapter 1 As the Crow Flies: The Nautical World 3

Chapter 2 Take a Rain Check: Sports and Games 30

Chapter 3 Carry the Can: Work, Trades, and Money 57

Chapter 4 Bite the Bullet: Military Matters 83

Chapter 5 On the Bandwagon: The Political Realm 101

Chapter 6 In the Limelight: That's Entertainment 110

Chapter 7 Purple Patch: Ancient Times 123

Chapter 8 Bold as Brass: People and Names 143

Chapter 9 In the Doghouse: Literature 155

Chapter 10 Bring Home the Bacon: Culinary Delights 171

Chapter 11 Apple of Your Eye: Biblical Times 182

Chapter 12 Caught Red-Handed: Law and Order 196

Chapter 13 Beat around the Bush: Animals and Nature 215

Chapter 14 Tie the Knot: Till Death Do Us Part 230

Chapter 15 In a Nutshell: Miscellaneous Matters 236

Artwork Credits 256

Index of Sayings 258

About the Author 265