Review of America's top 30 idioms and their origins
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- Ellylion
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Review of America's top 30 idioms and their origins
America's Top 30 Idioms and their Origins by Fred Engh is a quick and educational read. The book explains the meaning and history of the thirty idioms found in the English language. From this book, among other valuable specifics, we will learn why it is important to "let the cat out of the bag," why we admire "sliced bread" that much, and what historical figure stands behind the expression, "Katie, bar the door."
I liked the author's way of presenting the idioms. He does it straight to the point, offering amusing facts and providing us with historical data. I appreciate that the book touches on commonly used, so a bit rare idiomatic expressions. For instance, I didn't know much about the idiom "off your rocker" until reading this book. Also, I was always wondering what "bite the dust" meant. The book explains it exhaustively. It was very interesting to learn that a wish to "break a leg" exceeds the theatrical world and may have an ancient origin. It is worth adding that the writing style is simple and very appealing, while the amount of facts is not debilitating.
I liked the brilliant illustrations by talented Todd Van Linda. These illustrations accompany every idiom, humorously emphasizing its meaning. My favorite one depicts two camels sitting at the bar table, looking at a straw in a glass with hilarious "facial" expressions. I believe that you can guess what idiom it complements. Besides their entertaining quality, these illustrations would help readers memorize the meaning of the idioms better.
There wasn't anything to dislike about this book. I found up to six errors and typos, like a missing closing quotation mark or missing commas between the clauses. However, they didn't spoil my pleasure from reading, and I believed that the book was professionally edited. It is my great pleasure to award it 4 out of 4 stars. I couldn't give the book a lesser rating because of the author's non-orthodox approach to introducing idioms, among many other positive aspects of the book.
I recommend the book to English learners. But native English speakers would also benefit from reading this book. Established linguists and researchers would enjoy it, for the book widens the perspective on idioms' roots and development. Finally, the book would appeal to fans of humorous prose. I must add that the book is suitable for readers from 18 years of age as it has some instances of minor profanity and mentions types of execution in the context of history.
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America's top 30 idioms and their origins
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