{"product_id":"black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-albert-jack-9780399535123","title":"Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Why do people put their \"skeletons in a closet,\" \"have a hunch,\" \"get the cold shoulder,\" \"get dressed up to the nines,\" or \"call a spade a spade?\" These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e For example, \"wearing your heart on your sleeve\" comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would \"give her heart\" in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the \"black sheep in the family\" refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, any language-lover can feel like a \"Smart Aleck\"-and also know exactly who that was.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Albert Jack\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0399535128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780399535123\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Tarcherperigee\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/04\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.44lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 4.50w x 0.48d","brand":"Albert Jack","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43988146487551,"sku":"9780399535123","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_3d199a89-f27b-4c58-8be1-41df3702bf37.jpg?v=1683292887","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-albert-jack-9780399535123","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}