Get ready to chew the fat.

This engaging, humorous new book explains the not-so-common origins of such commonly used phrases as “apple-pie order,” “chew the fat,” and “hat trick.” Presented in a fun, easy-to-read style, it provides entertaining insight on metaphorical phrases, weird words, and strange expressions and takes readers on a journey through the bizarre and eccentric origins that make up our everyday speech.

• Word books have gained in popularity not just with students and linguaphiles, but with a general population interested in the fascinating development of our language

• Contains back stories for 500 intriguing words and phrases

• Fun to flip through and also fun to read cover to cover

Paul McFedries is the president of Logophilia Limited and has written more than three dozen books that have sold over two million copies worldwide. He also runs the Word Spy mailing list and website wordspy.com, which are devoted to the study of new words and phrases. Word Spy has been featured in publications such as Wired and the Wall Street Journal.

Imprint: Alpha
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 08-05-2008
Pages: 336
Measurements: 9.06in X 6.06in X 0.56in X 0.67lb