{"product_id":"cliches-over-1500-phrases-explored-and-explained-paperback","title":"Cliches: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and Explained - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBetty Kirkpatrick\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eE. M. Kirkpatrick\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetty Kirkpatrick has complied and exhaustive dictionary--a must for writers, crossword puzzle buffs, and anyone who is intrigued by language. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSample entries from \u003ci\u003eCliches\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLet the cat out of the bag \u003c\/b\u003eis an idiom cliche meaning to reveal a secret. In origin it refers allegedly to a fairground tick by which traders sold unwary buyers a cat in a bag, assuring them it was a pig. The buyers did not realize their mistake until they let the cat out of the back, by which time it was too late. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eBite the bullet \u003c\/b\u003eis an idiom cliche meaning to steel oneself to accept something distressing. In origin it probably refers to the days before anesthesia, when soldiers wounded in battle were given a lead bullet to bite on to brace themselves against the pain of surgery. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFly off the handle\u003c\/b\u003e is an idiom cliche meaning to lose one's temper. Originally American, the expression has its origin in an ax or hammer, the handle of which becomes loosened and flies off after it has struck a blow.\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCliches: the bad guys of the English language, overused, abused, and sniffed at by school teachers? Or do they receive bad press? Are they actually an irreplaceable form of linguistic shorthand? Betty Kirkpatrick, an editor of Roget's Thesaurus, has exhaustively researched and compiled a list of our most common phrases, presented alphabetically. She provides the origin of each cliche, a humorous example of its use, and explores how a phrase becomes a cliche, when we use them, and why. This dictionary is a must for writers, crossword puzzle buffs, and anyone who is intrigued by language.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBetty Kirkpatrick\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer and lexicographer. Editor of both the \u003ci\u003eBloomsbury Thesaurus \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRoget's Thesaurus\u003c\/i\u003e, she was formerly editor of the \u003ci\u003eChambers Twentieth-Century Dictionary\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Scotland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 224\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 8.4 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 05, 2000\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51759292186912,"sku":"9780312198442","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/a52b22fb1bfc405747b73f9b872a724c.webp?v=1780148277","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/cliches-over-1500-phrases-explored-and-explained-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}