{"product_id":"funny-you-should-say-that-the-surprising-origins-of-50-everyday-phrases-idioms-sayings-and-the-extraordinary-history-behind-why-we-say-them","title":"Funny You Should Say That: The Surprising Origins of 50 Everyday Phrases, Idioms \u0026 Sayings — and the Extraordinary History Behind Why We Say Them","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e \u003cdiv\u003e \u003cspan\u003eWhy do we say \"bless you\" when someone sneezes? What does a loose cannon actually look like? And why on earth would you throw a baby out with the bathwater? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery day, you use dozens of phrases whose origins would genuinely shock you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat harmless \"bite the bullet\" you dropped in conversation this morning?\u003cbr\u003eIt was forged on the blood-soaked operating tables of battlefields where surgeons hacked off limbs without anaesthesia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Loose cannon\"? That was a two-thousand-pound iron weapon rolling freely across a warship's deck in a storm.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd \"beyond the pale\"? That was a boundary line in medieval Ireland — cross it, and you were outside the protection of English law.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFunny You Should Say That\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e takes fifty of these everyday phrases and traces them back to their extraordinary birthplaces — from plague pits to pirate ships, from medieval bathhouses to boxing rings, from the courts of kings to the decks of warships.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEach entry follows a simple, addictive format:\u003cbr\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAs We Say It\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — the phrase in action\u003cbr\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Wrong Version\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — what you’ve probably been getting wrong\u003cbr\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Real Story\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — the fact-checked, historically grounded origin\u003cbr\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Verdict\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — a summary for your next dinner party.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOrganised into ten thematic chapters covering disease, seafaring, royalty, war, medieval life, theatre, dark history, food, animals, and religion, this book is perfect for word lovers, history buffs, trivia addicts, and anyone who has ever said \"it's a dog-eat-dog world\" and then wondered… do dogs actually eat dogs?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMeticulously researched. Frequently hilarious. Occasionally horrifying. Always fascinating. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"A celebration of the sheer, improbable, often hilarious, occasionally horrifying, and always fascinating journey that words take from their moment of creation to our everyday lips.\"\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books Prime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45913290866879,"sku":"56818b58-8fe4-4ada-8368-737e54754dfb","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0761\/7550\/7647\/files\/fd69a629fb95d46534c2dbb8873e8019.jpg?v=1785044667","url":"https:\/\/books-prime.com\/products\/funny-you-should-say-that-the-surprising-origins-of-50-everyday-phrases-idioms-sayings-and-the-extraordinary-history-behind-why-we-say-them","provider":"Books Prime","version":"1.0","type":"link"}