Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds by Michael Quinion

Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds by Michael Quinion

The cat's pajamas, the bee's knees, and the whole nine yards rolled into one, this true feast for word lovers skewers commonly accepted word-origin myths and etymological folktales. Writing with flair and authority, word maven and Oxford English Dictionary contributor Michael Quinion shows us that the real story behind a word or phrase is often much stranger than the commonly accepted one. With this book in your arsenal, you'll have the last word in every word-lover's game of one-upmanship. So if you've ever wondered why we utter such oddities as raining cats and dogs, I couldn't care less, or twenty-three skidoo, this one's for you. No ballyhoo

Michael Quinion hosts and writes the World Wide Words Web site and is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary.