Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Building on the success of his previous bestsellers,
Now You Know,
Now You Know More, and
Now You Know Almost Everything, this fourth volume is headed straight for the bestseller list! It is Doug Lennox at his best as he masterfully dispenses the answers to quirky questions, never losing sight of the joy of discovering the "why" of ordinary things.
Discover the fascinating histories behind people, places, and words:
WHY DO WE SAY THAT SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN TREATED BADLY HAS BEEN "HUNG OUT TO DRY"?
Discipline on early British sailing ships was necessary but often extreme. The cat-o'-nine-tails left sailors scarred for life, but keelhauling (tying a victim with a rope and pulling him under a ship) was feared most. If the prisoner survived, he was suspended from a yardarm where he was left hanging for a predetermined period of time.
WHY IS A MILITARY DINING HALL CALLED A "MESS"?
The term goes back to the Middle Ages, when British sailors began calling their meagre and often grub-infested meals a "mess." It evolved into meaning the general area where the sailors gathered to eat. Later it referred to a specific area where men gathered to eat, drink, and socialize.
Synopsis
Building on the success of his previous bestsellers, Now You Know, Now You Know More, and Now You Know Almost Everything, this fourth volumeis headed straight for the bestseller list! It is Doug Lennox at his best as he masterfully dispenses the answers to quirky questions, never losing sight of the joy of discovering the why of ordinary things.
Discover the fascinating histories behind people, places, and words:
WHY DO WE SAY THAT SOMEONEWHO HAS BEEN TREATED BADLY HASBEEN HUNG OUT TO DRY?
Discipline on early British sailing ships was necessary but often extreme. The cat-o-nine-tails left sailors scarred for life, but keelhauling (tying a victimwith a rope and pulling him under a ship) was feared most. If the prisoner survived, he was suspended from a yardarm where he was left hangingfor a predetermined period of time.
HOW DID THE CARD GAME BRIDGE GET ITS NAME?
Bridge evolved from a legion of trick-taking card games, the most enduring being whist, which gotits name from an old English word for shush, because its played in silence.Whist has many variations,including a game the Russians called biritch, a name that was gradually Anglicized to become bridge.
WHY IS A MILITARY DINING HALLCALLED A MESS?
The term goes back to the Middle Ages, when British sailors began calling their meagre and often grub-infested meals a mess. It evolved intomeaning the general area where the sailors gathered to eat. Later it referred to a specific area where men gathered to eat, drink, and socialize.
About the Author
Doug Lennox is an internationally acclaimed broadcaster, a veteran character actor, a commercial voice artist, and a bestselling author. He has appeared in more than 60 films and television features, including X-Men, Police Academy, Lonesome Dove, and Against the Ropes, and has shared screen time with Meg Ryan, Hugh Jackman, Burt Reynolds, Holly Hunter, Eric McCormack, Gary Oldman, and a myriad of others.