The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins

Front Cover
Penguin, 2008 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 243 pages
What does it mean to 'chew the fat'? Why do we put things in 'apple-pie order'? And what on earth is a 'hat trick'?

Readers will learn all this and more in this fun and engaging new addition to the Complete Idiot's Guide® series, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins. This humorous book provides entertaining insight on the often metaphorical, always taken-for-granted phrases and expressions used every day. In it, language expert Paul McFedries takes readers through the sometimes surprising, always amusing world of weird words and expressions, and the fascinating stories that surround them. Presented in a fun, easy-to-read style, this book takes readers on a journey through the bizarre and eccentric origins that make up our everyday speech.

 

Selected pages

Contents

Foreword
A
1
B
10
C
26
D
40
E
49
F
56
G
65
N
105
O
111
P
116
Q
133
R
136
S
149
T
182
U
203

H
73
I
82
J
84
K
89
L
92
M
96
V
208
W
213
X Y Z
230
Appendix A
238
Appendix B
241
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Paul McFedries is the president of Logophilia Limited and has written more than three dozen books that have sold over two million copies worldwide. He also runs the Word Spy mailing list and website wordspy.com, which are devoted to the study of new words and phrases. Word Spy has been featured in publications such as "Wired" and the "Wall Street Journal."