Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
I want to read the book!
All characters reduced
Blue Moons and Black Markets - The Origins Of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day - cover

Blue Moons and Black Markets - The Origins Of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day

Albert Jack

Publisher: Albert Jack Publishing

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

From the internationally best selling author of Red Herrings and White Elephants, Pop Goes the Weasel and What Caesar Did for my Salad.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 Blue Moons and Black Markets, 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 Blue Moons and Black Markets, any language-lover can feel like a "Smart Aleck" - and also know exactly who that was.
Available since: 09/20/2018.

Other books that might interest you

  • My Sh*t Therapist - & Other Mental Health Stories - cover

    My Sh*t Therapist - & Other...

    Michelle Thomas

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    A shocking, heart-rending, and blisteringly funny account of what it's like to live with mental illness, by a powerful new comic voice. 
 
 
 
When Michelle Thomas suffered her first major depressive episode six years ago, she read and watched and listened to everything about mental health she could get her hands on in an effort to fix herself. God, it was tedious, boring, and, quite frankly, depressing. 
 
 
 
Which is the last thing she needed. 
 
 
 
What she did need was a therapist who would listen and offer a wellness strategy catered to her specific needs. What she got was advice to watch a few YouTube videos and a cheerful reminder that "It could be worse." 
 
 
 
An honest, hilarious, and heart-rending account of living with mental illness, My Sh*t Therapist will help you navigate the world, care for your mind, and get through sh*t diagnoses, jobs, medications, boyfriends, habits, homes, and therapists. 
 
 
 
With no miraculous scented candles, herbal teas, or "cures" for mental illness in sight, learn instead how a modern woman and her friends and followers are learning to make the most of brilliant but unpredictably sh*t brains.
    Show book
  • Abbott and Costello: Lou Wants to Join the Circus - cover

    Abbott and Costello: Lou Wants...

    Bud Abbott, Lou Costello

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Costello wants to join the circus. Abbott loses his place in the script.
    Show book
  • At Last the 1948 Show - Volume 4 - cover

    At Last the 1948 Show - Volume 4

    Tim Brooke-Taylor, Marty...

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    At Last the 1948 Show is a classic satirical TV series that prided and inspired Monty Python. Featuring Cambridge footlighters John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graham Chapman, this is arguably the finest sketch comedy series ever produced, and certainly something you do not want to miss... 
This volume features a compilation of classic sketches from the first series of the show, including: 
-Four Sydney Lotterbys-Visitors for the Use of...-Sleep Starvation-Mice Laugh Solftly-Charlotte-Undercover Policemen
    Show book
  • The Algebraic Adventures of Archimedes Jones - cover

    The Algebraic Adventures of...

    Joel Baker

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    James Hargrove is a math teacher who loves order, formulas, and the neat precision of his classroom. But when summer break arrives, James finds himself adrift in time and space, far from the structured world of equations he knows so well. Meanwhile, his wife Mei—a Chinese teacher with a love for poetry and pandas—embraces the season with passion, spending her days at the zoo, marveling at the simplicity and charm of her favorite black-and-white creatures. 
In a dusty attic, James stumbles upon an old typewriter and unexpectedly discovers a new passion—writing. What begins as a whimsical hobby quickly evolves into The Algebraic Adventures of Archimedes Jones, a tale of a mathematician-turned-adventurer who uses his knowledge of equations to navigate magical worlds. As James pours his heart into creating realms where logic meets fantasy, he learns to let go of the rigid rules that once defined him, and to embrace the joy of imagination. 
Mei becomes his greatest supporter, offering encouragement, inspiration, and plenty of suggestions—like adding a panda who knows calculus. Through their contrasting interests and shared love for each other’s passions, James and Mei discover new depths in their relationship. As his stories gain a small but devoted following, James learns that storytelling can be as powerful as teaching, and that sometimes, the most meaningful mysteries are those that can’t be solved with numbers alone. 
Filled with warmth, humor, and a touch of romance, The Algebraic Adventures of Archimedes Jones is a heartwarming story about finding magic in the mundane, the beauty of contrasts, and the joy of embracing life’s unexpected adventures. It’s perfect for readers who believe that there’s room for whimsy in even the most practical lives, and that sometimes, the most profound equations are written not in chalk, but in love and laughter.
    Show book
  • Head Fake - A Novel - cover

    Head Fake - A Novel

    Scott Gordon

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    "Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2024" 
 
 
 
"Head Fake is about how laughter can save us." —Chris Rock, comedian, actor 
 
 
 
"An absorbing, uplifting tale of finding light and self-worth in adversity's darkest depths." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 
 
 
 
Mikey makes everything a joke, even the clinical depression he's struggled with for years. After a run of failed jobs, he becomes the unlikely basketball coach at a high school for high-risk offenders who are experiencing mental illness. The position becomes suddenly available after the team tried to strangle their last coach. 
 
 
 
Every instinct tells Mikey to get as far away from this school as possible. Coaching these kids, who have been arrested for who-knows-what, would be difficult for a normie. For Mikey, it could cause another breakdown and force him right back to living on the street. But he knows that if he has any chance to make his twenty-sixth birthday, he needs to keep this job, even if the school board wants him fired, and the students would rather fight each other than play ball. 
 
 
 
This poignant, hilarious, and sometimes uncomfortable novel proves that even the most damaged of us can emerge victorious.
    Show book
  • Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber Builds a Telescope - cover

    Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber...

    Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0 
    Fibber the astronomer has made a startling discovery...McGee's Comet!
    Show book