Synopses & Reviews
Person to person” (and station to station”), bar sinister,” the weed of crime bears bitter fruit,” between the devil and the deep blue sea,” will o the wisp,” poor as Jobs turkey” . . . these are just a few phrases that were once part of everyday speech. However, due to our evolving language and other cultural changes, there are hundreds of phrases poised on the brink of extinction. Can such endangered phrases be saved? And if so, why? These are questions Steven D. Price, award-winning author and keen observer of the passing linguistic scene, answers in this challenging and captivating compilation. It is sure to increase your appreciation of the English languages ebb and flowand enhance your own vocabulary along the way.
Synopsis
Person to person (and station to station ), bar sinister, the weed of crime bears bitter fruit, between the devil and the deep blue sea, will o the wisp, poor as Job s turkey . . . these are just a few phrases that were once part of everyday speech. However, due to our evolving language and other cultural changes, there are hundreds of phrases poised on the brink of extinction. Can such endangered phrases be saved? And if so, why? These are questions Steven D. Price, award-winning author and keen observer of the passing linguistic scene, answers in this challenging and captivating compilation. It is sure to increase your appreciation of the English language s ebb and flowand enhance your own vocabulary along the way."
Synopsis
Phrases and idioms that don't deserve to be ancient history
About the Author
Steven D. Price is the author or editor of more than thirty-five books, including 1001 Smartest Things Ever Said, The Best Advice Ever Given, 1001 Funniest Things Ever Said, 1001 Dumbest Things Ever Said, and 1001 Insults, Put-Downs and Comebacks, The Quotable Billionaire, The World's Funniest Lawyer Jokes, and Endangered Phrases. A former staff editor on The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, he is a writer and editor and lives in New York City.