{"product_id":"black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day-9780399535123","title":"Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Albert Jack\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Trivia\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Why do people put their \"skeletons in a closet,\" \"have a hunch,\" \"get the cold shoulder,\" \"get dressed up to the nines,\" or \"call a spade a spade?\" These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For example, \"wearing your heart on your sleeve\" comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would \"give her heart\" in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the \"black sheep in the family\" refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, any language-lover can feel like a \"Smart Aleck\"-and also know exactly who that was.","brand":"Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":45408875151511,"sku":"9780399535123","price":2123.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780399535123.webp?v=1767310714","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day-9780399535123","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}