Let's Talk Turkey: The Stories Behind America's Favorite Expressions

Author: Ostler, Rosemarie

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Number Of Pages: 252

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Ever wonder what going on the wagon has to do with drinking? Why does extreme behavior take the cake? And did Americans' pocket change ever really include wooden nickels? Many of our most intriguing expressions grew out of once-familiar bits of American culture, the roots of which are now obscure. Respected linguist Rosemarie Ostler demystifies over 150 of these colorful homegrown figures of speech. She traces each saying from its first known appearance in print to its place in modern English, uncovering a host of cultural and historical tidbits along the way.Homegrown metaphors sprang up on American soil almost as fast as the colonists' first bean crop. Just as they learned new farming skills and adjusted to an unfamiliar diet, they shaped their language to fit their new situation. Expressions like to play possum and bury the hatchet are uniquely American

― they would hardly have made sense in the old country, where possums didn't exist and where hatchets were used only for splitting firewood. Ostler explains the rich history of figures of speech that grew out of the landscape and culture of North America.Much more than a list of phrases and definitions, Let's Talk Turkey is a lively and enjoyable exploration of how Americans developed their own inimitable style of speech. Expressions are arranged by cultural categories. These include some of our most bountiful sources for metaphor ― the great outdoors, business, entertainment, politics, cops and robbers, food and drink, and doing chores. The thoroughly researched entries reveal the latest etymological discoveries, along with charming and illustrative quotes.This entertaining, amusing, and very informative reference book is sure to captivate language lovers of all ages, as well as anyone fascinated with the byways and back roads of American lore.

Reviews:

"Expressions seem to come from nowhere. As Rosemarie Ostler delightfully shows us in Let's Talk Turkey, we can trace their trajectories even if we seldom can locate their launching pads. Talk Turkey now means to get down to brass tacks but we learn from her book that it used to mean 'affably chatting or making pleasant remarks.' Dr. Ostler is both affable and pleasant, and her book is chock full of chat about words and the meandering courses they took once they got into our language." -- Richard W. Bailey, author of Nineteenth-Century English and Fellow of the Dictionary Society of North America.

"Like many other books on language, this one is a pleasure to read. But unlike many others, it is also well researched and reliable. The author goes to expert sources and evaluates them judiciously. She is able to debunk the urban myths that envelop the origins of many of our choice expressions. This is a book I will recommend to anyone who wants to know the true stories of America's favorite expressions." -- Allan Metcalf, Professor of English, MacMurray College; Executive Secretary, American Dialect Society; Author of Predicting New Words: The Secrets of Their Success and four other books on language.

"Provides clear and straightforward accounts of the greatest-hits of American phraseology. Let's Talk Turkey is entertaining and illuminating and highly recommended." -- Erin McKean, Editor, Verbatim: The Language Quarterly.

"Rosemarie Ostler talks turkey about the origins, uses, and meaning of the many American expressions and catchwords that have become the very marrow of our language and culture. Readers will be surprised and delighted with the many and sundry facts about expressions drawn variously from politics and barnyards, households and poker tables, theater and playing fields, and more. With a sure hand in digging up the roots of the terms, she also shows how an American vernacular developed that transformed the King's English into the people's speech. You can bet your bottom dollar that this book will inform and amuse and be the beeswax in any conversation about who we are and what we mean to say...

EAN: 9781591026259

Release Date: 01-06-2008

Languages: English

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp. Paperback Used - Very Good Ships fast! 2008

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood

Binding: Paperback