Most Comprehensive Origins of Cliches, Proverbs and Figurative Expressions: Volume III

Thankfully it is broken into 3 volumes plus a separate index which is also massive. What a service this book is. Thank you :-)

I was looking for origins phrases like "pig in a poke". This did not provide me that information.

If you have not put the first two volumes of “Most Comprehensive Origins of Clichés, Proverbs and Figurative Expressions” by written by Stanley J. St. Clair and edited by Kathy Ann Barney, "Volume III" will have you scrambling for the set. Wordsmith St. Clair has saved “the best for last” in a volume that complements the first two and will, as does its set-mates, delight the inquisitive reader for the pure pleasure of learning something interesting and new. This third volume’s offerings will continue the collection’s broad appeal to academics, historians, and trivia buffs alike. In this volume, interesting patterns emerge in the telling of the rather surprising origins of the expressions contained within its pages. Let’s explore some highlights.Think of how often we use a phase without ever thinking of who said it first or what made it popular. Though modern media may have popularized an expression, it may not be so modern after all. When did ‘that sucks’ translate from a rather vulgar expression into a mild admonition of yuckiness, and what youth magazine felt it safe enough to put it into print and when (page 518)? The vulgar expression has been left to the imagination, but that is neither ‘here nor there’, although some things have been neither ‘here’ nor ‘there’ since around 1583 (also on page 518).Yes indeed, you will discover that media has ruled and fueled some of our best-loved and most enduring phrases and amusements. A clever series of 'knock-knock jokes' garnered its first guffaws in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in 1606. Find out what the probable first one ever was on page 312.More modern media, like motion pictures, made ‘It’s a free country’ from John Steinbeck’s classic novel "Grapes of Wrath" a part of our current zeitgeist in 1939:“’This is a free country, fellow can go where he wants.’“That’s what you think! Ever hear of the border patrol on the California line? Police from Los Angeles—stopped you bastards, turned you back. Says, if you can’t buy no real estate we don’t want you. Says, got a driver’s license? Let’s see it. Tore it up. Says you can’t come in without no driver’s license.’“‘It’s a free country.’”Steinbeck could have written these words this year.“Most Comprehensive Origins of Clichés, Proverbs and Figurative Expressions III” is all about the history of the human condition. We people have been gossiping about one another in ‘kiss and tell’ fashion since around 1695 (page 308) and ‘making names for ourselves’ since Biblical times (page 346).As an archivist, school librarian, and instructor of journalism whose passion is teaching young folks how to research and present facts, I am eager to include this third volume in my arsenal of resources for my students. I give author St. Clair an ‘A for effort’ (page 14) on the research for and delightful telling of anecdotes for this book.

For the third time, Stanley St. Clair has brought us a terrific comprehensive compilation of cliches, proverbs and figurative expressions. This latest edition has more than 1300 NEW entries. I have been steadily going through this volume and, like the two previous editions, I find myself amused, enlightened and educated with the vast amount of knowledge contained in this book. St. Clair has spread the collection from phrases that were used centuries back to current expressions often heard by younger generations or seen posted on social media. For those of us who write and publish, as I do, or like my husband who teaches college level writing, these books are valuable resources. A frequent thought heard at our house in regards to writing, is "Check Stan's book!" Of course we mean Volumes I and II but soon Vol. III will make the set a trio. Often I find myself just turning through the book, enjoying the discovery of a phrases' meaning or locating phrases from a different culture or country that I've never heard. For anyone who loves, language, writing, reading or is simply curious about figurative expressions or the origin and history of such, these books are a real asset and a splendid addition to a personal library collection. They also make fantastic gifts. A huge congratulations and a heartfelt thanks to Stanley St. Clair for the majestic job he has done on this latest edition. For all of us, our language written and spoken, is enhanced greatly because of the enormous job St. Clair has done.

Stanley J. St. Clair’s "Origins of Clichés, Proverbs, and Figurative Expressions, Vol. III" is an amazing piece of work. Whether you want to own it as a reference tool to keep always handy in your library or to have the book for sheer reading pleasure, this one is for you.I thought with each of the previous volumes, this simply cannot get any better. Well, each time it did! Volume III has more than 1300 brand new entries.I love just sitting and thinking of an expression or a cliché and asking myself, “Did St. Clair get this one?” So far, I’ve not come up with a single one he doesn’t have in his book.Always, he totally details where each expression comes from and where it was first known to be used. In many cases, St. Clair has discovered that what other authorities thought was the first use is simply wrong. Often he finds and details a previous use sometimes occurring many years earlier.This one is simply the best such reference of its kind I have ever seen.Not to have this book is to miss out on way too much reading fun with plenty of “OH’s and AH’s all along the way. Origins…. is an absolute must for any library. It is over 600 pages of amazing educational wealth and information and just pure reading pleasure.

Language is an entity to itself, fluid and ever evolving. We may find ourselves critical of where it is headed, but rest assured we are not the first people to find ourselves in that situation with every iteration a seeming bastardization of the cherished vocabulary we have come to know and love. All we can do is embrace the ever changing landscape and appreciate it for what it was, is and is to come. This compendium manages to capture the true spirit of this creature and illuminate the rich history of the phrases that we all use regularly and sometimes even unknowingly. You will learn and you will laugh at the insights Stanley offers in this third entry to the series. This offering truly is "all that and a bag of chips". Thank you for the obvious effort and passion that went into bringing this to us.