Gift & Humour
Synopsis
Who first wrote ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, ‘accidentally on purpose’ or ‘no pain, no gain’?
Did you know that there is no evidence Queen Victoria said ‘We are not amused’ or Marie Antoinette proclaimed ‘Let them eat cake’, but ‘iron curtain’ was in use for 40 years before Winston Churchill said it, and we have P. G. Wodehouse to thank for ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’? This witty and accessible compendium reveals the obscure origins of over 500 common phrases, dispelling myths and offering plenty of fascinating facts to delight the triviaholic in all of us.
Reviews
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‘Who Who Who gave Santa his catchphrase? Father Christmas will soon be chortling “Ho, Ho, Ho!” to excited children – but where did he get that from? New book Who...
Featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC World Service.
Guardian.co.uk and The Guardian, 9th December 2011
‘this book’s happy mission is to restore credit to the creative people who first said (or at least wrote down) “hit the nail on the head”…“small but perfectly formed”... “I’ll...
St Christopher's Live-Your-Life e-zine, December 2011
‘a brilliant book exploring the curious origins of common words and phrases. If you’ve ever pondered where ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ comes from, you’ll like this.’
Best of British magazine, March 2012
‘This book will open up many a debate in pubs and homes everywhere.’
The Good Book Guide, January 2012
‘This is one of those delightful books that is so enjoyable to get lost in but can also be very useful for settling an argument… From classical terms such as...
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