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Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas : Popular Expressions - What They Mean and Where We Got Them by Judy Parkinson (2009, Hardcover)

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How on earth did 'with bells on' come to express enthusiasm? Why is good health compared to a small stringed instrument? ('As fit as a fiddle.') And what do pickles have to do with quandaries? Let's not beat about the bush: despite the fact that we have all used these phrases at one time or another, and even enjoyed expressing them, they are in truth - when you take a moment to consider them - completely senseless and utterly fantastical. We all know what somebody means when they use these phrases due to our common knowledge of them, but it wouldn't be surprising if, when asked to explain them, you found that the cat had got your tongue, or you simply clammed up! Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas provides us with the meanings to these well-worn and much-loved phrases by putting these linguistic quirks in context, and explaining how and why they were first used. Absorbing, diverting and fascinating - as far as Christmas gifts go, Spilling the Beans really is the bee's knees!