Who first wrote ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, ‘accidentally on purpose’ or ‘no pain, no gain?'Did you know that there is no evidence Queen Victoria said ‘We are not amused’ or Marie Antoinette proclaimed ‘Let them eat cake’, but ‘iron curtain’ was in use for 40 years before Winston Churchill said it, and we have P. G. Wodehouse to thank for ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’?This witty and accessible compendium reveals the obscure origins of over 500 common phrases,...

Have you ever wondered where terms like ‘end of your tether’, ‘gets my goat’ or ‘letting ones hair down’ come from? Or why we call some people ‘geezers’, ‘sugar daddies’ or ‘lounge lizards’? Or where the words ‘eavesdropping’, ‘nickname’ and ‘D-Day’ come from? They are just a few of the many words and phrases that language expert Max Cryer examines in this fact-filled and fun new book. Max explains where these curious expressions come from, what they mean and how they are used. Along the w...

Proverbs ... weve all grown up with them and we probably repeat them without much thought. Yes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and absence makes the heart grow fonder, but these sayings have almost become clichés and it is the same in every country and culture. Such pearls of wisdom play a key role in the moral guidance of societies everywhere. Sometimes the wisdom is distinctly odd, sometimes it has become outdated and sometimes it is simply contradictory. After all, do many ...

In Superstitions, Max Cryer explains the origins of many of the things we commonly say and observe and why we continue to include them in our lives: kissing under the mistletoe, the unlucky number thirteen, the significance of the bridal bouquet, saying ‘bless you’ after sneezing, the hanging of a horseshoe, the danger in opals, the Leap Year proposal. So many aspects of our lives are coloured by superstition; now you can discover the reasons for them in this witty and informative book.

Many bright minds have come up with expressions we now take for granted as part of the English language, and which we use freely in vernacular speech. But the originators of many of our most useful second-hand remarks go uncredited. So who said it first? This collection sets out to credit as far as its possible to do so the people who actually created many familiar terms in common us. For example, poor Ernest Dowson is all but forgotten, but author Margaret Mitchell read his 1891 poem Non ...

Visitors to New Zealand are frequently surprised — and puzzled — by local terms and expressions. This concise A–Z dictionary, now updated in a new expanded edition, is a quick and easy reference to understanding the words and phrases that make the New Zealand language and speech patterns so different. Language expert Max Cryer not only provides helpful definitions for the various entries, but also sheds light on their origins. Slang words feature heavily, while a key feature of the book is...

The Godzone Dictionary is a concise A-Z of the words and phrases that make our New Zealand language and speech patterns so distinctive and individual, from Aotearoa and Avondale spiders to Zambuck and Zespri. Slang words and expressions feature heavily, while one of the unique features of this book is the large number of Maori words that have become a part of our common language in recent years. The listing also includes the popular names of our sports teams (so often confused!) and an app...

Why has Fido become a generic term for all dogs? Why did hundreds of people collect dog faeces and sell it? Dogs never eat other dogs, so why is it a dog-eat-dog world? Did any dogs survive the Titanic? What is a Yorkipoo? Do mad dogs really go out in the midday sun? Every Dog Has Its Day pays homage to mans best friend, telling the stories of famous dogs in history, tracing the origins of some of our favourite breeds, showing how dogs have become a significant part of our language, and de...

In Is It True?, Max Cryer explores the truth or otherwise of facts and beliefs we may have always been told are true, but which on closer examination may not be. In a wide-ranging book encompassing social history, language, music, politics, the natural world and much more, we discover the truth behind some of our most cherished beliefs. Always fresh and amusing, Max Cryer will take you on a journey through your acquired knowledge, testing whether it is really up to scratch.

We cannot get enough of cats: from ancient times they have occupied a special place in many different cultures around the world. They have also generated a fascinating array of words, expressions and observations, as well as poems, books, movies, cartoons and artworks. In this witty and entertaining book, Max Cryer celebrates cats and all they have given to us. He describes the many words and expressions they have inspired, from ‘catnip’ and ‘catwalk’ to ‘the cat’s whiskers’ and ‘raining c...

Whatever your skill level, Everyone Can Write will help you to become a better writer. Covering all the structural approaches to non-fiction writing, it will enable you to: impart facts in a report; develop an argument in an essay; tell a story through narrative; and, add a human touch to emails and blogs.Along the way, you will discover a set of simple rules that will allow you to write rapidly and clearly. Deadline stress will become a thing of the past as you learn how ...

Japan has a way of thinking that is just . . . different. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Tokyo-born journalist Lisa Katayama's collection of urawaza (a Japanese word for secret lifestyle tricks and techniques). Want to turbocharge your sled? Spray the bottom with nonstick cooking spray. Can't find someone to water your plants while you're away? Place the plant on a water-soaked diaper, so it slowly absorbs water over time. The subject of popular TV shows and numerous books ...