Loading Search

• Buy this Book
• Book Creators
• Related Blog Posts
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

This dictionary explains the origins of 1500 of the most common English words and phrases. Many go back to the earliest civilizations, showing how our daily English draws from a variety of language and cultures. Explanations for such phrases as bats in the belfrey, the cuckoo in the nest, the fly in the ointment, the fleas in the ear and the dog in the manger are included. Brian Phythian is the au... More

This dictionary explains the origins of 1500 of the most common English words and phrases. Many go back to the earliest civilizations, showing how our daily English draws from a variety of language and cultures. Explanations for such phrases as bats in the belfrey, the cuckoo in the nest, the fly in the ointment, the fleas in the ear and the dog in the manger are included. Brian Phythian is the author of "A Concise Dictionary of Confusables", "English Slang, English Idioms" and "Foreign Expressions".

You must be a member of JacketFlap to add a video to this page. Please Log In or Register.