Port Out, Starboard Home : The Fascinating Stories We Tell About the Words We Use

-15%

Brand: Penguin Books
Author: Quinion Michael
Published: 2005-09-01
Pages: 304
Format: 110 x 178 mm
Cover: paperback

Published: 2005-09-01
Pages: 304
Paperback
Format: 110 x 178 mm

ISBN 9780141012230

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41.65 49.00 -15%

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Lowest price from 30 days before reduction : 49.00 Lowest discount 30 days before reduction : 41.65

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Can it really be true that 'golf' stands for 'Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden'? Or that 'rule of thumb' comes from an archaic legal principle that a man may chastise his wife, but only with a rod no thicker than his thumb? These and hundreds of other stories are commonly told and retold whenever people meet. They grow up in part because expressions are often genuinely mysterious. Why, for example, are satisfying meals 'square' rather than any other shape? And how did anyone ever come up with the idea that if you're competent at something you can 'cut the mustard'? Michael Quinion here retells many of the more bizarre tales, and explains their real origins where they're known. This is a fascinating treasure-trove of fiction and fact for anyone interested in language.

Author: Quinion Michael
Published: 2005-09-01
Pages: 304
Format: 110 x 178 mm
Cover: paperback

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