{"product_id":"9780060843373","title":"Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Every Day","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMad hatter . . . pie in the sky . . . egg on your face.\u003c\/i\u003e We use these phrases every day, yet how many of us know what they really mean or where they came from?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003ci\u003ebringing home the bacon to leaving no stone unturned\u003c\/i\u003e, the English language is peppered with hundreds of common idioms borrowed from ancient traditions and civilizations throughout the world. In \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e, Albert Jack has uncovered the amazing and sometimes downright bizarre stories behind many of our most familiar and eccentric modes of expression:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you happen to be a \u003ci\u003ebootlegger\u003c\/i\u003e, your profession recalls the Wild West outlaws who sold illegal alcohol by concealing slender bottles of whiskey in their boots. If you're on \u003ci\u003ecloud nine\u003c\/i\u003e, you owe a nod to the American Weather Bureau's classification of clouds, the ninth topping out all others at a mountainous 40,000 feet. If you opt for the \u003ci\u003ehair of the dog\u003c\/i\u003e the morning after, you're following the advice of medieval English doctors, who recommended rubbing the hair of a dog into the wound left by the animal's bite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA delightful compendium of anecdotes on everything from \u003ci\u003eminding your p's and q's to pulling out all the stops\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e is an essential handbook for language-lovers of all ages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47029245477104,"sku":"9780060843373","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780060843373_p0.jpg?v=1763619425","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780060843373","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}