Description
A lexicographer compiles data on the origins and meanings of a treasury of more than four hundred curious sayings and expressions, from "letting the cat out of the bag" to "going on a wild-goose chase."
Read More
From “mad as a wet hen” to “corn dodger” and “hobgoblin,” Charles Funk’s collections of curious words and expressions are a treasure trove of word origin. Where did expressions like this come from anyway? Now finally we’ll know what “letting the cat out of the bag” or “going on wild-goose chase” refers to. In this fun collection of over 400 curious expressions and sayings, Dr. Funk explains the meanings that we use in everyday speech without even thinking about it. He has traced them back through the years-in some cases centuries-in an effort to determine their sources, to find out what the original allusions were, or, at the very least, to give us his expert opinion when facts cannot be traced.
Read Less