Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds

副标题: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins

ISBN: 9781588342195

出版社: Smithsonian Books

出版年: 2004-10-07

页数: 224

定价: USD 19.95

装帧: Hardcover

内容简介

The real story of a word or phrase’s origin and evolution is often much stranger—and much more humorous—than the commonly accepted one; the many entries will certainly leave you “happy as a clam.” Happy as a clam? Really, what’s so happy about being a clam? The saying makes much more sense when it’s paired with its missing second half: “at high water.” Now a clam at high water is a safe clam, and thus a happy clam. From the bawdy to the sublime, Quinion’s explanations and delightful asides truly prove that the “proof is in the pudding.”