eBook - ePub

Watch Your Tongue

Name: Watch Your Tongue
ISBN: 9781501172298

What Our Everyday Sayings and Idioms Figuratively Mean

Mark Abley,

272 pages
English
ePUB (mobile friendly)
Available on iOS & Android

eBook - ePub

Watch Your Tongue

What Our Everyday Sayings and Idioms Figuratively Mean

Mark Abley,

About this book

Phrases, idioms, and clichés—why do we say the things we say? Watch Your Tongue explores weird and wonderful everyday sayings and what they reveal about us. Do you ever wonder why you shouldn't have a cow but you should seize a bull by its horns? Who has the better reputation in language—cats or dogs? Do you sometimes feel that our speech is all smoke and mirrors or that our expressions simply make no sense?In Watch Your Tongue, award-winning author Mark Abley explores the phrases, idioms, and clichés of our everyday language. With wit and subtle wisdom, he unravels the mysteries of these expressions, illuminating the history, tradition and stories behind everything we say. Pulling examples from Shakespeare's plays to sports team names, ancient Rome to Twitter, Abley shares samples and anecdotes of the eccentric ways that we play with, parse, and pattern language.Why do so many companies use fruit for their brand names? What do politicians mean when they say they're going to "drain the swamp"? Why does English use chickens to signify cowardice? Abley dives into the history and psychology behind these examples and countless others, unpacking their significance (and sheer absurdity) to show how our language developed, where it is headed, and what we can learn about ourselves from it.Whimsically illustrated, easily browsable, and full of catchy sidebars, Watch Your Tongue celebrates how we amuse ourselves with words and what our sayings reveal about the way we see the world.

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Yes, you can access Watch Your Tongue by Mark Abley in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Personal Development & Writing & Presentation Skills. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.