Loose Cannons, Red Herrings, and Other Lost Metaphors - Brossura

Claiborne, Robert

Brossura

ISBN 10: 039332186X ISBN 13: 9780393321869

Casa editrice: W W Norton & Co Inc, 2001

Riassunto

An entertaining look at the mysteries of the English language explains the origins and original meanings of colorful common metaphors and expressions from "ace in the hole" to "zero-sum." Reprint.

Su questo libro

Product Description:

The English Language is a treasury of splendid mysteries, among them the many words and phrases whose origins we no longer know. Often the original meaning was literal, pertaining to forgotten objects or activities -- such as "aftermath", which once meant the grass that sprang up after a farmer had mowed a field. With the informal scholarship and good-humored wit that are his trademarks, Robert Claiborne reveals the wonders buried in our speech, vivid images of people and customs of the past. As the reader soon discovers, they are "a sort of hidden poetry that can heighten the colors and sharpen the meanings of words and phrases that we read or write daily".

Su questa edizione

• Editore: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Data di pubblicazione: 2001
• ISBN 10: 039332186X
• ISBN 13: 9780393321869
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 254