Black Sheep and Lame Ducks

The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Reference, Almanacs & Trivia, Word Lists, Language Arts, Linguistics, Education & Teaching, Teaching, Teaching Methods
Cover of the book Black Sheep and Lame Ducks by Albert Jack, Penguin Publishing Group
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Author: Albert Jack ISBN: 9781101187531
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication: May 4, 2010
Imprint: TarcherPerigee Language: English
Author: Albert Jack
ISBN: 9781101187531
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication: May 4, 2010
Imprint: TarcherPerigee
Language: English

The fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller Red Herrings and White Elephants

Why do people put their "skeletons in a closet," "have a hunch," "get the cold shoulder," "get dressed up to the nines," or "call a spade a spade?" These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions.

For example, "wearing your heart on your sleeve" comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would "give her heart" in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the "black sheep in the family" refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable.

With Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, any language-lover can feel like a "Smart Aleck"-and also know exactly who that was.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller Red Herrings and White Elephants

Why do people put their "skeletons in a closet," "have a hunch," "get the cold shoulder," "get dressed up to the nines," or "call a spade a spade?" These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions.

For example, "wearing your heart on your sleeve" comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would "give her heart" in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the "black sheep in the family" refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable.

With Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, any language-lover can feel like a "Smart Aleck"-and also know exactly who that was.

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