Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas
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How on earth did 'with bells on' come to express enthusiasm? Why is good health compared to a small stringed instrument? ('As fit as a fiddle.') And what do pickles have to do with quandaries? Let's not beat about the bush: despite the fact that we have all used these phrases at one time or another, and even enjoyed expressing them, they are in truth - when you take a moment to consider them - completely senseless and utterly fantastical. We all know what somebody means when they use these phrases due to our common knowledge of them, but it wouldn't be surprising if, when asked to explain them, you found that the cat had got your tongue, or you simply clammed up! "Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas" provides us with the meanings to these well-worn and much-loved phrases by putting these linguistic quirks in context, and explaining how and why they were first used. Absorbing, diverting and fascinating - as far as Christmas gifts go, "Spilling the Beans" really is the bee's knees!
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Spilling the Beans on the Cats' Pyjamas is the new book by the top ten best-selling author of I Before E (Except After C)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sayings that I always wanted to know the origin of,
By Blue Burmese (England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas: Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them (Hardcover)
I have been looking for a book like this for years.
Everytime I have heard an expression I have wondered why and where it came from. Now I know and I keep this book at my fingertips now so if anyone asks me where it came from I can refer to the book. For example I always wondered what "swinging the lead" was and what did it mean and where did it come from.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating look at the English language,
By
This review is from: Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas: Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them (Hardcover)
My sister gave me this pretty little book for Christmas, which was great because it's not the type of book I would usually think about buying for myself. The title might leave you wondering exactly what this book is about, but the subtitle helps to explain: Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them.
The book looks at some of the well-known phrases and proverbs which appear in the English language and explains what they mean and how they originated. Do you know what 'to shoot the moon' means, for example, or why we give someone 'the third degree'? Why do we 'steal someone else's thunder' and why do we 'go to the Land of Nod' when we fall asleep? The phrases appear in alphabetical order. I was a bit disappointed by some of the entries which are little more than a straight definition of the phrase or proverb, but the majority were interesting and I learned a lot of fascinating little facts. Some of them such as 'ballpark figure' and 'take a rain check' have American origins. Others stem from Ancient Greece or Rome. There are others that come from the Bible, some that are derived from Aesop's fables and some that were made famous by Shakespeare. A few of the phrases have no definite origins and in these cases the author tells us that the definitions she's providing are merely speculation. This is not really a book you would read from cover to cover in one sitting; it's perfect for dipping in and out, reading a few entries at a time. It's strangely addictive though as the entries are temptingly short (usually no more than two or three paragraphs). I'd recommend it to anyone with a love for the English language. It's a perfect book to buy as a gift too, as it even has a special page at the front where you can write your 'to' and 'from'!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A mixed bag,
By
This review is from: Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas: Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them (Hardcover)
On the inside cover is printed `A gift for ... from...', suggesting that this attractively produced book, humorously illustrated by Louise Morgan, is intended to be a stocking-filler, so perhaps we shouldn't be too critical of it. The subtitle is `Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them'. `What They Mean' is almost always pretty obvious - otherwise they would hardly be popular. A fairly high proportion of the explanations of `Where We Got Them' will surely not needed for someone who has a reasonable acquaintance with the Bible (to cast pearls before swine), Aesop's fables (sour grapes), Greek legends (the sword of Damocles), sailing (walking the plank). However, there are certainly some entries (cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey) whose intriguing origin few people would know. As this is the third edition of a book whose earlier ones were under different titles, it has obviously been a good seller. And it is a good deal handier and more up-to-date than Brewer's massive `Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'.
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