Dictionary of Proverbs and Their Origins

Author(s): Linda Flavell

Reference

Did you know that if the cap fits refers to the traditional jester's cap with bells on it so anyone wearing such a cap could be expected to do something foolish? Or that the ancient Greeks believed that it was camels rather than elephants that never forgot? The Spanish writer Cervantes defined a proverb as a short sentence drawn from long experience and Linda and Roger Flavell trace the origins of over 400 of these invaluable pieces of wisdom. The entries are interspersed with mini-essays on such diverse subjects as The Proverbial Cynic and When there's a R in the Month. The result is essential reading for anyone who delights in words.

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Product Information

Linda and Roger Flavell have been studying the oddities of English for over 25 years. Linda has worked as a writer and as an English teacher both in England and overseas and has co-authored several dictionaries of etymologies for Kyle Books. The late Roger also travelled widely and was a Lecturer in Education at the Institute of Education, University of London.

General Fields

  • : 9780857834034
  • : Octopus Publishing Group
  • : Hamlyn
  • : 0.72
  • : November 2016
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : January 2017
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Linda Flavell
  • : Paperback
  • : 2nd Revised edition
  • : English
  • : 413.1
  • : 288