Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday Sayings and Fun Phrases

Top positive review

good but limited

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 9, 2022

I think this little book has 400 or so entries. Very informative for the expressions that are there. But I have now added a new list which I keep on my computer for the many, many everyday expressions that aren't in the book. In all fairness, no book could do this. Language changes, so computer references for expressions will always be the best.

3 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›

MEP

Poorly printed

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 15, 2023

Bought this book new, but print is so light and faint and makes it not fun to read!

725 total ratings, 99 with reviews

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From the United States

bartwin

good but limited

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

3 people found this helpful

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donna klammer

Very entertaining read!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

So interesting to read, I am entertained. I love these sayings and knowing the history makes them even more meaningful.

Helpful

Linda Kay Beaman

A Great Book About Stuff We Didn’t Know!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 16, 2022

Verified Purchase

I bought eight of these great books as a “Party Favor” for a reunion with some of my friends. Everyone loved this book! Very informative and fun to read!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Danie

I love the way the book identifies the meaning as well ...

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

You can't be this book and that's coming from someone who didn't understand the title of this book. This book is amaaaazing! It's a wealth of information with some common (to most) phrases and gives insight to all of those endless sayings our parents seem to have a plethora of. I love the way the book identifies the meaning as well as uses it in context, quite often, the two are not one and the same. This book is a must have for anyone who enjoys a good time and likes to expand their thought. This book is always a good read but particularly after a few glasses of wine, I highly recomend it when reading this book. It's funny what you learn from this book. We all use know the ropes, but few of us know it originates from sailing, it makes sense once you stop to think about it - as do most of what's in this book, but they're still fun to learn about. I do wish there was some rhyme or reason the order of the sayings but other then that, I would highly recommend this book to anyone - oin fact i'd recommend two. You will want to keep one and give another as a gift!

12 people found this helpful

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P. Ericksen

It's great to know where our common phrases come from

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

It's great to know where our common phrases come from. Like when people say they were "fired" from a job, everyone knows that they lost their job due to a decision from management, but the actual origin is that coal miners would buy their own tools and if one of the workers was found stealing from the job, they would have all of their tools "fired" (burned in a furnace) in front of all of the other workers as punishment/humiliation for what they did. It's interesting to know where those phrases come from.

The only objection I have is that the phrase "break a leg" with regards to actors is said to be attributed to meaning that they "take a bow" at the end (that you bent your knee), where I'd heard that the "legs" referred to the side curtains and that actors were only paid if they got on stage, so "breaking a leg" meant that you made it on stage and got paid. So saying "break a leg" was "get on stage and get paid" (more in line with the "good luck" meaning it has today) not just take a bow at the end. So, I'm not entirely sure which is correct.

27 people found this helpful

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Ann

This would be a perfect book to buy for someone who has everything

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

This would be a perfect book to buy for someone who has everything. It is filled with many fun facts as to the origin of things we say and have no idea where or when they originated in the Engish language. Some of these I knew what they meant but had no idea how they came about; such as “at loose ends; or raning cats and dogs”. There are 15 chapters covering all kinds of subject areas. Areas are Nautical, Sports and Games, Work, Trades and Money, Millitary Matters, The Policical Realm, That’s Entertainment, Ancient times, People and Names, Literature, Culinary Delights, Biblical Times, Law and Order, Animal and Nature, Til Death Do Us Part, and Miscellaneous Matters. Its fun easy reading and could be a great coffee table or a bathroom book. I would like to see my junior high and high school grandkids read it. I think they would get a kick out of it.

20 people found this helpful

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anisa alamia

I loved this because of one thing- ok wait

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

I loved this because of one thing- ok wait, two things. I loved that the explanations were short- I don't want to read a three page history for each one, which I have seen before (maybe on wikipedia? I don't know). The second thing- that it was listed by type! I had an argument with my husband on where "cherry-picking" came from- he said sports, and I said that did not sound correct- I was thinking a farming phrase - but unfortunately it isn't a listed. In any case, while I was looking for it, I found Taking a Piss, which I had always wanted to know- and it was in culinary delights!! I was pretty amazed to see how old some things were that are still in use- it would make a fun gift for someone learning English who really wanted to sound fluent.

15 people found this helpful

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Matthew

Every Phrase is Interesting and Well Written

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

Seems like I have heard 90 percent of them, without any clue as to where 90 percent of them derived. I have enjoyed learning the phrase's origins. Randomly selecting phrases spread across the book to pen in letters to a prisoner inside our U.S. penal system. He enjoys reading them and shares them with his fellows. The book is a waxed paperback with glued spine that has held up well to multiple repeated thumb-throughs. Would recommend to everyone else, all ages.

2 people found this helpful

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tybuy

Fun book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 26, 2021

Verified Purchase

Ordered for my Father in-law and he loved it. Had a lot if fun information

One person found this helpful

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Bob Stine

Fun and informative

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

I previously bought Phraseology but found it seldom had the phrases that I was looking for, making it useless to me. This one has included most of the sayings I've looked for. I highly recommend this book over the other one.

2 people found this helpful

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5 star		73%
4 star		18%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

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Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Curious Origins of Everyday...

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