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Why does the dominant partner in any sexual relationship usually sleep on the side of the bed nearest the door? Is there a direct relationship between the length of hemlines and the state of the national economy? Are odd numbers evil? And why do drivers with hats drive 40 kilometres per hour slower than those without?
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English
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We all swear, whether we admit it or not, but do you know the fascinating origins of the curses and maledictions that we spout out of spite and malice, or simply to entertain? Here is practically every dirty word and foul phrase you've ever heard in English, along with a great many that you may not have heard. From Chaucer and Shakespeare to Lenny Bruce and Mel Brooks, Come Again? offers you the frank and the filthy, the obtuse and the obscene,...
Author
Pub. Date
2010.
Language
English
Formats
Description
In day-to-day speech we use words and phrases without a passing thought as to why we use them or where they come from. Max Cryer changes all that by showing how fascinating the English language really is. Did you know that the former host of Today, Jane Pauley, claims to have coined the term "bad hair day," or that a CBS engineer named Charley Douglass invented the name and use of "canned laughter" for television, or that "cold turkey" as a...
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English
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Description
We love animals but insult humans by calling them everything from weasels or pigs to sheep, mice, chickens, sharks, snakes, and bird-brains. Animal epithets, words, and phrases are so widespread we often take them for granted or remain ignorant of the fascinating stories and facts behind them.
Spanning the entire animal kingdom, Holy Cow! explains:
Why hot dogs are named after canines. Why people talk turkey or go cold turkey.
Why curiosity killed...
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Language
English
Description
The Cheaper the Crook, the Gaudier the Patter: Forgotten Hipster Lines, Tough Guy Talk, and Jive Gems explores the rich vocabulary of gangsters, hipsters, jazz musicians, and military personnel of the 1930s and '40s. Entries include definitions, etymology, and examples of usage. This delightful compendium celebrates the linguistic gems cut and polished during the Great Depression, World War I, and the postwar fifties-now forgotten or in danger of...
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Language
English
Description
Did you know that a horse apple is actually a type of orange? Or that a whiffletree is not a tree at all? You will, after you pore through this delightful dictionary of old-fashioned words that are quickly slipping from America's vocabulary. With over 100 illustrations, and steeped in nostalgia, it makes for a fun trip down memory lane. Wander into America's past and play a game of Rolley Holley, buy a Tin Lizzy, and make friends with some doughboys....
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Language
English
Description
As times change so do the things we use and what we call them. W.R. Runyan has compiled a fascinating collection of words and phrases that, once common everywhere in America, are little known today. This book is a celebration of our linguistic past that will be a treat from word lovers everywhere. Do you know any of these: Snaffle, Steelie, Gully Washer, Cabriolet, Calk, Hardpan, Carbuncle, Pie Bird, Fid, or Hame? Did you know that a "Horse Apple"...
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Language
English
Description
From real, larger-than-life showmen like Buffalo Bill to silver-screen gunslingers like John Wayne, the cowboy has become an international symbol of honor, adventure, valor, daring, and courage. The era of the cowboy lasted from roughly just before the Civil War to the turn of the century, but it created some of the most enduring and popular names of all time: Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Pat Garrett, just to name a few. And although...
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Series
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English
Description
Hope is an interesting thing. Some think it's foolish, often misplaced, and at rarer times devastating; but more agree that hope is an integral and beautiful part of life, something that implicitly makes us human. We're always hoping for something-for change, for improvement, or to find peace of mind amid life's bustling demands. These things are often the subjects of our deepest desires, those things that can bring us true happiness. Fortunately...
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Language
English
Description
"Better a witty fool, than a foolish wit," said the world's greatest and most preeminent English writer of all time, William Shakespeare.
Have you ever wanted to quote the most quoted writer in the English language? Deliver the most inventive and debasing Shakespearean insult ("Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon!")? Recite titillating love poetry like a modern-day Romeo to his (or her) Juliet? Or commit a learned wisdom about life's woes to...
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Series
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English
Description
For first-timers, veterans, or those hoping to join the ranks real' soon, here is a collection of more than 250 memorable quotations that capture the ups and downs and all points in between of what it means to be a grandmother and the inherent wisdom, power, and grandchildren-spoiling privileges that come with it. Heartwarming musings, advice, opinions, and observations are drawn from famous grandmothers around the world and those who know them all...
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Language
English
Description
Have you been putting bullion in your soup? Is incorrect spelling starting to have a negative effect on your term papers? Do you wonder what someone is inferring when they tell you to pick up a dictionary? These are just a few of the commonly misunderstood words discussed and explained in Abused, Confused, and Misused Words, an entertaining and informative look at the ever-changing nature of the English language. An alphabetical list of words that...
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Language
English
Description
When faced with life's greatest quandaries, there's just one place to go for advice: all your beloved heroes and heroines. These 6,000 thought-provoking quotations cover almost every imaginable dilemma and come from writers like Confucius, Horace, Shakespeare, Twain and Austen; modern figures such as Andy Rooney and Meryl Streep; and fictional TV favorites Homer Simpson and Chandler Bing. Need help when considering a new look? Jim Morrison warns:...
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Series
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English
Description
In this extensive collection of words to enlighten your mind and uplift your spirit, you will find something applicable to any problem, situation, or conundrum, as well as the inspiration for living your everyday life to the fullest. From the classic wisdom of thinkers such as Aristotle, Francis Bacon, and Thoreau, to the brilliance of more modern luminaries such as Maya Angelou, Golda Meir, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, and even lighthearted...
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Language
English
Description
Chock-full of jokes and entertaining twists of the tongue, this lighthearted but scholarly guide to humorous language is a sure hit with word lovers. The examples are entertainingly bawdy, with a delightful narrative voice in word sleuth and author, Jim Bernhard. He provides examples and puzzles, teaching a smidgen of historical and etymological scholarship, but above all, amusing his audience.
Puns from Greek dramatists, Shakespeare, the Bible,...
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Series
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English
Description
In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, the word yoga means "spiritual discipline." Modern yoga is thought of mainly in the context of its postures, but the actual meaning of yoga goes much deeper than that. Though its exact history is unknown, the first recorded instance appears in ancient Shamanism, a religion that involved healing its community members, among other functions. Throughout history, yoga has developed and adapted depending on its practicing...
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English
Description
Food is a favorite topic of conversation around the world-how to create it, how to season it, how to compliment it with other foods, how to serve it...the list goes on. Yet little attention is paid to where the names of food actually come from or why so many phrases we use daily involve food, whether or not they actually relate to the kitchen. Bring some history to the table with this delightful phrasebook!
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Series
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English
Description
From the early explorers to space travelers and holiday jetsetters, those in transit have acknowledged both the benefits and downsides of life on the go. The Little Blue Book of Travel Wisdom is a collection of these musings on travel, be it for research purposes, business, or vacation, via a plane, a bus, or a train. Just some of the figures cited in the book include:
• Robert Frost
• Mark Twain
• Maya Angelou
• Pat Conroy
• Rick Steves
•...
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Series
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English
Description
Advice, inspiration, and consolation for those facing life after school.
Sometimes graduates need a gift that is a little more comprehensive than Oh, the Places You'll Go! This small book is packed full of wisdom from those who have completed their years of schooling and lived to tell their tales-or those who haven't, but feel the need to add something to the graduation lexicon anyway.
Whether your graduate is feeling excited about his or her future...
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