Loose Cannons, Red Herrings, and Other Lost Metaphors

by Robert Claiborne

A colorful compendium of everyday words and phrases and where they originated. The English language is a treasury of splendid mysteries, among them the many words and phrases whose origins we no longer know. Often the original meaning was literal, pertaining to forgotten objects or activities―such as "aftermath," which once meant the grass that sprang up after a farmer had mowed a field. With the informal scholarship and good-humored wit that are his trademarks, Robert Claiborne reveals the wonders buried in our speech, vivid images of people and customs of the past. As the reader soon discovers, they are "a sort of hidden poetry that can heighten the colors and sharpen the meanings of words and phrases that we read or write daily."

Genres: Language, Nonfiction, Reference, Writing

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Robert Watson Claiborne, Jr. (1919–1990) American folk singer, labor organizer and writer. He wrote primarily about science and linguistics.

Reviews

[Chris Gleck]

This book is copyrighted 1988 and my paperback version was published in 1989. This seems like the kind of book Loren would acquire, which is how it came to be on my bookshelf. It is an alphabetic listing of numerous phrases and expressions we use with a brief explanation of the origin of the phrase. I read one page a day of this 290 page book. I found it interesting, but, of course, my retention of the information is negligible. I will recycle this yellowed, old-style paperback.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely interesting. Great short synopsis of each phrase. Humorous at times and well researched in it's entirety.