A Bird in the Hand: And the Stories Behind 250 Other Common ExpressionsRecounts the origins of more than 250 common phrases used in everyday speech, providing the complete stories of how the expressions came into use. |
From inside the book
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Page 120
... PERSIANS Once again , we are indebted to Aesop for the story idea that gives us a picturesque way of saying a rather simple thing . When with much effort we accomplish little , we are likely to say that we have labored and brought forth ...
... PERSIANS Once again , we are indebted to Aesop for the story idea that gives us a picturesque way of saying a rather simple thing . When with much effort we accomplish little , we are likely to say that we have labored and brought forth ...
Page 138
... Persians , making a running charge directly into the main body of the Persian army . The Persians so vastly outnumbered them that they believed the Greeks to be out of their minds to do a thing so foolhardy , and at first , seized by ...
... Persians , making a running charge directly into the main body of the Persian army . The Persians so vastly outnumbered them that they believed the Greeks to be out of their minds to do a thing so foolhardy , and at first , seized by ...
Page 199
... Persians did not have ? It was not long , though , until someone came up with an interpreta- tion of the Scythian tokens brought to Darius : Unless the Persians would fly away like birds , or burrow into the ground like mice , or ...
... Persians did not have ? It was not long , though , until someone came up with an interpreta- tion of the Scythian tokens brought to Darius : Unless the Persians would fly away like birds , or burrow into the ground like mice , or ...
Common terms and phrases
Aegean Sea Aesop Aladdin ancient appeared apple army arrow asked Asmodeus baby beautiful became began believed bird Bluebeard brother called century B.C. character creature dead death DRIVE LIKE JEHU enemy Epimetheus Eurystheus expression eyes father fight gave girl give goddess goose Greek Greek mythology hand heard heaven Heracles Hercules Hermes Hippomenes horse human Jehu Jesus Judas killed king known land language later lived looked Malaprop married meaning mighty monkey mountain never night Odysseus Orpheus Othello palace Penelope Persians person Philistines poem Pollyanna Procrustes Prometheus quickly Quisling River Roman Romeo Rube Goldberg Samson Scythian ship Solomon someone sometimes somewhere soon speech stone stood story strange tale tell things told took Trojan Trojan War Troy turned Uriah Heep wanted wife wish woman women word young Zeus