The fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller Red Herrings and White Elephants 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 Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. 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. With Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, any language-lover can feel like a "Smart Aleck"-and also know exactly who that was.
The follow-up to Red Herrings and White Elephants explains the history of the curious and bizarre origins of hundreds of idioms and expressions, including “wearing your heart on your sleeve” and a “black sheep in the family.”
Did you know... the term "hot dog" is believed to have been coined during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Giants in 1901? calzones get their name from their less-than-glamorous looks: calzone means "trouser leg" or "drooping sack" in Italian? the word "salary" comes from Roman soldiers being paid their wages in salt? shrimp cocktail became popular in the 1920s as a safe way of "having a cocktail" during Prohibition? the Cobb salad was invented by Robert H. Cobb-founder of the Brown Derby restaurant chains-who threw the salad together for Sidney Grauman-owner of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood-as a midnight snack based on ingredients in his refrigerator? In What Caesar Did For My Salad, historian Albert Jack offers a fascinating look at the unexpected stories, creators, and bizarre origins behind the world's most beloved dishes. Who was Margherita, for instance, and why was the world's most famous pizza named after her? Why do we call our favorite kinds of coffee espresso or cappuccino? Did medieval Turkish soldiers really invent the kebab by threading bits of meat on to their swords and balancing them on top of their campfires? What exactly does horseradish sauce have to do with our equine friends? From your morning eggs to America's favorite pies, fries, and martinis, you'll never look at your kitchen pantry or refrigerator in the same light again.
Have you heard the one about… • Walt Disney’s frozen body? • Coca-Cola owning Santa Claus? • Alligators living in New York City sewers? We all love a good story. But where do the urban legends, conspiracy theories, and old wives’ tales we hear every day really originate? Albert Jack explores the best, strangest, and funniest of the tales so many of us take as gospel, and uncovers some eye-popping true stories that are even more far-fetched than their mythical counterparts. From Robin Hood to JFK’s brain, from hamsters under carpets to mysterious travelers, you’ll never be short of a scary or bizarre anecdote again.
In order to succeed in school and beyond, students in grades 6-12 need to understand and use both academic language and discipline-specific vocabulary. This book describes effective practices for integrating vocabulary study with instruction in English language arts, history/social studies, and math and science, and for helping students become independent, motivated word learners. The expert authors present a wealth of specific teaching strategies, illustrated with classroom vignettes and student work samples. Connections to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are highlighted throughout; an extensive annotated list of print and electronic resources enhances the book's utility.
This edited collection of papers comes from the well-established Modern Studies in Property Law biennial conference. It examines a diverse range of topics in property law and uses a wide range of methodological approaches to reflect on a variety of current and emerging themes and important issues that have been overlooked, offering new analysis and insights that will be valuable for property lawyers, academics, and students. It considers new developments in property law, including those connected with digital assets and the issues that have arisen from co-housing. The contributors are leading academics and practitioners from several common law jurisdictions, which expands the book's focus and enhances its value to the reader.
Beer has traveled with America through time as this is a ride to celebrate it. Finding craft brews all over the country and experiencing the area with a beer in hand. Because beer is not just a drink. It’s that drink we share with friends, we have at the game, and have at our celebrations. So this is about traveling across the country sharing many of the stops that people know and spots you may not know about and the beers along the way. It’s not enough just to enjoy the trip but also to understand how beer has fit into society. Not an in-depth history but a general overview of some major moments in the evolution of beer. With historic notes along the way so along the trip you can learn about the journey beer has had. From ancient times to modern times beer has evolved as well. The beer evolution has over the years transformed into many different styles of today. Also how the drink has been seen and grown in popularity in America. It just hasn’t been universally accepted as a popular drink from the beginning like some seem to think it has. It’s these points through history which make the trip that much more interesting. When it comes to styles it seems there are too many to count. Instead of trying to name and define each one which is what many seem to try to do. Rather, help define many of the terms used in the styles and the general meanings to get a better idea of what brews are like. It’s not about defining a taste profile but more defining the core characteristics that make up the nomenclature and where they may draw their roots from. Then you can better enjoy the beer versus trying to measure it up to some taste standard. Most of all this is a celebration of the classic American road trip. With an eye to the craft beers which makes America unique in the brewing world. So it’s not just the mass of brewpubs in Portland or California but what you can find near the Grand Canyon or along the skyline drive on the East Coast to raise a pint. Great beers aren’t just in major cities but in small towns all across the country and no matter where you go there is likely a brewery in the area making something worth checking out. From the Great Plains, Gulf coast, or west Texas you can find something to see, experience and drink. That is what the book is about. Not just a fun ride but an experience of circling the country with a mind on area and beers you can find. It’s a call to ride with a mind for beer. Have a flight and find what you can see and learn along the way.
FOOLED BY FABLES? LED ON BY LEGENDS? MYTH-GUIDED? WONDER NO MORE, MYSTERY-PHILES: THE TRUTH IS IN HERE! What in the world (or out of it) made those giant crop circles? Did skydiving skyjacker D. B. Cooper really get away with it? Is Bigfoot a big fake? Are ETs just BS? If you’re tired of scratching your head over persistent puzzlers like these, mystery-buster Albert Jack has the cure for your quizzical itch. He’s gone hunting for the truth behind more than thirty of the most famous and baffling conundrums in history. Did a conspiracy or a calamity kill Marilyn Monroe? Is the Bermuda Triangle a tropical tall tale? Was a dead Paul McCartney replaced by a doppelgänger? How did Edgar Allan Poe meet his doom? In quick-witted entries on each enigmatic topic, Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs offers answers certain to surprise, enlighten, amuse, and perhaps disappoint true believers. But Albert Jack never fails to fascinate and entertain as he spills the beans about the odd, the eerie, and the (no longer) unexplained.
