{"product_id":"black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day-9780399535123","title":"Black Sheep and Lame Ducks: 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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlbert Jack's \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e was a huge international hit and was on the bestsellers list for sixteen months. His second, \u003ci\u003eShaggy Dogs and Black Sheep\u003c\/i\u003e was another success: selling over 70,000 copies. He is also the author of \u003ci\u003eThat's Bollocks!\u003c\/i\u003e (all the strangest, sickest, funniest and most unforgettable urban legends as told in Jack's inimitable style) and \u003ci\u003eAlbert Jack's Ten-Minute Mysteries\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50872609374482,"sku":"9780399535123","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8ec0a357-2e5b-4520-b3e5-a43adbe68af9.jpg?v=1737902906","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-the-origins-of-even-more-phrases-we-use-every-day-9780399535123","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}