I Love It When You Talk Retro by Ralph Keyes

I Love It When You Talk Retro by Ralph Keyes

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I Love It When You Talk Retro by Ralph Keyes


Today's eighteen-year-olds may not know who Mrs. Robinson is, the size of a breadbox, or why going postal refers to a major uproar. Such retroterms are words or phrases whose origin lies in our past. I Love It When You Talk Retro discusses these verbal fossils that linger in our national conversation long after the topic they refer to has galloped into the sunset. That could be a person (Charles Ponzi), product (Edsel), radio show (Gang Busters), or ad slogan (Cha-ching ). How many realize that cooties was World War I slang for lice, or that doofus came from the comic strip Popeye?

Ralph Keyes takes us on an illuminating and engaging tour through what he calls retrotalk. This journey along the highways of history and byways of culture is an invaluable handbook for anyone who's ever wondered about an obscure word or phrase, I wonder where that came from? Ralph Keyes's book answers that question. Repeatedly. And is a lot of fun to read.

Ralph Keyes's books include Timelock, The Courage to Write, and the bestselling Is There Life After High School? He has been on Oprah, 20/20, and The Today Show, as well as Fresh Air, and All Things Considered on NPR. His articles have been published in Esquire, GQ, Good Housekeeping, and Harper's. He lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780312340056
ISBN 10 0312340052
Title I Love It When You Talk Retro
Author Ralph Keyes
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher St. Martin's Press
Year published 2009-03-31
Number of pages 310
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.