{"product_id":"black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day","title":"Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller Red Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhy 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith Black Sheep and Lame Ducks, any language-lover can feel like a \"Smart Aleck\"-and also know exactly who that was.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51957938061592,"sku":"9780399535123","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0787\/8203\/8296\/files\/9780399535123.jpg?v=1776267661","url":"https:\/\/lushenabooksinc.com\/products\/black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day","provider":"Lushena","version":"1.0","type":"link"}