Port offres Out, maison tribord : les histoires fascinantes que nous racontons sur les mots que nous utilisons

Product Name: Port offres Out, maison tribord : les histoires fascinantes que nous racontons sur les mots que nous utilisons
EAN：9780141012230 UPC：9780141012230 offres ISBN：9780141012230 MPN：N/A Item Length：18.1 cm
Can it really be true that golf stands for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden? Or that rule of thumb comes from an archaic legal principle that a man may chastise his wife, but only with a rod no thicker than his thumb? These and hundreds of other stories are commonly told and retold whenever people meet. They grow up in part because expressions are often genuinely mysterious. Why, for example, are satisfying meals square rather than any other shape? And how did anyone ever come up with the idea that if youre competent at something you can cut the mustard? Michael Quinion here retells many of the more bizarre tales, and explains their real origins where theyre known. This is a fascinating treasure-trove of fiction and fact for anyone interested in language..