A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions

by Charles Earle Funk and Tom Funk

Book Overview

He's as independent as a hog on ice

Where did expressions like this come from anyway?

Now finally we'll know what "letting the cat out of the bag" or "going on a wild-goose chase" refers to. In this fun collection of more than 400 curious expressions and sayings, Dr. Funk explains the meanings that we use in everyday speech without even thinking about it. He has traced them back through the years -- in some cases centuries -- in an effort...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060513292
• ISBN13: 9780060513290
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

If you love words

This and HORSEFEATHERS are great companion books for A BROWSER'S DICTIONARY. If you love to read, have a curiosity about language and love words, you'll love this book.

Invaluable resource for living in a weird-sounding world

I had no idea "hell-bent" came from a campaign slogan.... or why a hog on ice would be particularly independent... This is an even more professional compendium than I had expected! Its approach reminds me of Oxford's, by including the earliest *known* usage and context. Colloquialism is a tricky field-- because it spreads from person-to-person, by nature, nobody can know ABSOLUTELY where a slang came from, or the first-ever usage and context, etc. I don't suppose it'd be very interesting to people who say "like, y'know" or "HellOOooo" or "a'ight" regularly. But it's great for those of us who think before we speak, and want to know why we speak as we do.

Malaprops No More

If you've ever wondered about the origin of the expressions that you've used, misused or abused, this is the definitive resource to set the record straight.a great gift for someone you've caught using a malaprop/malapropism...i'm sending a copy to a friend right now who told me he's "chomping at the bit"...