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Yale Law Library Series in Legal History and Reference
Lawtalk: The Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions
Not just for lawyers, these illuminating histories of popular law-related expressions will delight anyone fascinated by words, by history, or by law and law enforcement
Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance: boilerplate , jailbait , pound of flesh , rainmaker , the third degree . This insightful and entertaining book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Separate entries for each expression follow no prescribed formula but instead focus on the most interesting, enlightening, and surprising aspects of the words and their evolution. Popular myths and misunderstandings are explored and exploded, and the entries are augmented with historical images and humorous sidebars. Lively and unexpected, Lawtalk will draw a diverse array of readers with its abundance of linguistic, legal, historical, and cultural information. Those readers should be forewarned: upon finishing one entry, there is an irresistible temptation to turn to another, and yet another . . .
Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance: boilerplate , jailbait , pound of flesh , rainmaker , the third degree . This insightful and entertaining book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Separate entries for each expression follow no prescribed formula but instead focus on the most interesting, enlightening, and surprising aspects of the words and their evolution. Popular myths and misunderstandings are explored and exploded, and the entries are augmented with historical images and humorous sidebars. Lively and unexpected, Lawtalk will draw a diverse array of readers with its abundance of linguistic, legal, historical, and cultural information. Those readers should be forewarned: upon finishing one entry, there is an irresistible temptation to turn to another, and yet another . . .
348 pages, Hardcover
First published November 22, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 22, 2011
This was an interesting read. I wish that it was arranged by topic (all criminal law words and phrases together, etc.) rather than alphabetically, and I wish it had a conclusion, but it was well-written and well-researched. I learned a lot about some familiar phrases. Probably the best part of the book was the way that it debunked some popular etymologies ("testify" has nothing to do with Romans swearing an oath while grasping their testes, for examples. Recommended for law nerds and etymology nerds.
February 27, 2013
Entertaining and thought-provoking essays about legal terminology, law, and society.
November 23, 2018
Note: I would have given this four stars if I had reviewed as a reference book.
This A-Z set of short articles of familiar legal expressions (making a federal case out of it, separate but equal, death tax, hanged for a sheep, etc) was informative and at times entertaining. Sometimes depressing - especially when discussing Supreme Court decisions from the 1880s through 1920s. There are good citations at the end of the book and a useful looking index.
This book is far superior than simply googling a legal phrase. The authors (law librarians and professors) do a great job of phrase origins often sifting through several different origin stories before either coming to the true origin or admitting the phrase's origin is lost to history.
In the end though, it is an A-Z list, which got to be tedious at times. This is fine for a reference book. It might have been more enjoyable to try and group phrases into chapters based on subject (judges, lawyers, rights, civil rights, etc) and then alphabetical by phrase after that. I THINK that would make a better reading flow, but that could be a simple matter of preference.
Definitely recommended for legal buffs and fans of the various Law and Order series. Optional for the rest of you.
This A-Z set of short articles of familiar legal expressions (making a federal case out of it, separate but equal, death tax, hanged for a sheep, etc) was informative and at times entertaining. Sometimes depressing - especially when discussing Supreme Court decisions from the 1880s through 1920s. There are good citations at the end of the book and a useful looking index.
This book is far superior than simply googling a legal phrase. The authors (law librarians and professors) do a great job of phrase origins often sifting through several different origin stories before either coming to the true origin or admitting the phrase's origin is lost to history.
In the end though, it is an A-Z list, which got to be tedious at times. This is fine for a reference book. It might have been more enjoyable to try and group phrases into chapters based on subject (judges, lawyers, rights, civil rights, etc) and then alphabetical by phrase after that. I THINK that would make a better reading flow, but that could be a simple matter of preference.
Definitely recommended for legal buffs and fans of the various Law and Order series. Optional for the rest of you.
September 19, 2012
Lots of law trivia. A bit long winded, and very American biased. Some good law jokes
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews