What do âthe whole kit and caboodle,â âthe whole shebang,â âthe whole megillah,â âthe whole enchilada,â âthe whole nine yards,â âthe whole box and dice,â and âthe full Montyâ have in common? Theyâre all expressions that mean âthe entire quantity,â and theyâre all examples of the breadth and depth of the English-speaking worldâs vocabulary.
From the multitude of words and phrases in daily use, the author of this delightful exploration into what we say and why we say it zeroes in on those expressions and sayings and their variations that are funny, quirky, just plain folksy, or playfully dressed up in rhyme or alliteration. Some may have become clichĂŠs that, as itâs said with âtongue in cheek,â should be âavoided like the plague.â Others have been distorted, deemed politically incorrect, or shrouded in mystery and must bear some explanation.
Among the topics the author delves into are expressions that shouldnât be taken literally (âdressed to killâ and âkick the bucketâ), foreign expressions that crept into English (âcarte blanche,â âcarpe diem,â and âque sera, seraâ), phrases borrowed from print ads and TV commercials (âwhere thereâs life, thereâs Budâ and âwhere the rubber meets the roadâ), animal images (âa barrel of monkeysâ and âchasing your tailâ), and food and drink (âcast your bread upon the water,â âchew the fat,â âbottomâs up!â, and âdrink as a lordâ).
Hereâs a book for everyone who delights in the mysteries of language and the perfect gift for all the âwordiesâ in your life.