Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day - Albert Jack

The author of Red Herrings and White Elephants takes an in-depth look at even more phrases we use every day, taking readers on a journey through the curious--and often bizarre--origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. The fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller Red Herrings and White Elephants Why do people put their skeletons in a closet, have a hunch, get the cold shoulder, get dressed up to the nines, or call a spade a spade? These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In Black Sheep and Lame Ducks , Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. For example, wearing your heart on your sleeve comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would give her heart in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the black sheep in the family refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable. With Black Sheep and Lame Ducks , any language-lover can feel like a Smart Aleck-and also know exactly who that was.