Why Do We Say That? 101 Idioms, Phrases, Sayings & Facts! A Brief History On Where They Come From!
Product ID: 359540512
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Why do you “call shotgun” when you want the front passenger seat? What does “letting the cat out of the bag” have to do with divulging secrets? Why do you ask people to “cut to the chase”? Why do you hear all those juicy rumors “through the grapevine”? Like many people, you’ve probably used idioms or phrases like these without giving them a second thought. But if you were to take a moment to step back and learn about them you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover the mesmerizing and sometimes outright bizarre origins to these fun sayings! In Why Do We Say That , we have curated 101 of the most regularly used idioms , proverbs, turns of phrases, and colloquial terms that have the most fascinating backstories. For each phrase, we explain how it was coined, how its use evolved through the ages, and how it gained its contemporary use. Inside you will discover : ✔️ What the sanitary conditions of 17th century London have to do with “its raining cats and dogs” today. ✔️ What taking things “with a grain of salt” has to do with an ancient remedy for poison. ✔️ What Southeast Asian warrior traditions have to do with the term “to run amuck.” ✔️ Why “to break a leg” became something worth aspiring to in the Elizabethan theaters. And many, many more! Whether you're a native English speaker looking to expand your vocabulary, an ESL student or language learner wanting to speak English more naturally and confidently, or a trivia lover fascinated by word origins and quirky English expressions — this idiom book is packed with fun facts, fascinating backstories, and memorable phrases. You'll laugh, learn, and never hear common English idioms the same way again. Click the Buy Now button at the top of the page to unravel the mysteries behind popular English idioms. Review: A fun read! - Fun book. I bought it for grand & great grand kiddos. It helps them understand where sayings, etc originate. Review: good one - Good One
| Best Sellers Rank | #9,597 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Slang & Idiom Reference Books #3 in Etymology (Books) #8 in Reading Skills Reference (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,936 Reviews |
B**E
A fun read!
Fun book. I bought it for grand & great grand kiddos. It helps them understand where sayings, etc originate.
U**R
good one
Good One
T**R
Learned Something New
Entertaining. Loved the included trivia.
D**E
I like the price
I love these kind of books because they’re just so interesting.
R**E
Fine
Fine
A**T
Very interesting.
A quick, varied read but great fun. You will learn something without even trying.
D**T
Educational family fun
My 9 yr. old daughter and I love trivia and this book fits right in with what we love!
T**R
Wrong color product t
They sent the me a different color than what I ordered. Other than that the product is ok
S**D
A great little gift with brilliant facts
A great pick up a browse book that you can't put down once you start. You also then find yourself quoting the random facts to anyone that is willing to listen. I am waiting for quiz season to start and hoping that some of these questions are going to come up so that I can be that one person that knows very random facts now! It's a brilliant little book & makes a nice gift because let's face it, we've all said, "why do we say that?" at some point.
D**R
Avoid
Not great. Small amount of text on each page with a cheap looking illustration taking up the top portion of the page. Awful unnecessary illustrations and absolutely no references as to wher he got the information. I’ve been buying books from Amazon for over 20 years and have never been so disappointed with a book.
A**R
An easy entertaining read
Lots of interesting and informative fun facts.
M**Y
Great read
Very informative and 8nterestingbtonread.mideal as a gift
K**W
Interesting
I bought this Why Do We Say That book as a stocking stuffer Christmas gift. It appeared to be very interesting and was well received. It is fun to learn the origins of our common phrases.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
1 month ago