We have updated our Privacy Policy Please take a moment to review it. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the terms of our updated Privacy Policy.

Dictionary of Proverbs and Their Origins

Paperback / ISBN-13: 9780857834034

Price: £9.99

ON SALE: 3rd November 2016

Genre:

Disclosure: If you buy products using the retailer buttons above, we may earn a commission from the retailers you visit.

Did you know that if the cap fits refers to the traditional jester’s cap with bells on it so anyone wearing such a cap could be expected to do something foolish? Or that the ancient Greeks believed that it was camels rather than elephants that never forgot? The Spanish writer Cervantes defined a proverb as a short sentence drawn from long experience and Linda and Roger Flavell trace the origins of over 400 of these invaluable pieces of wisdom. The entries are interspersed with mini-essays on such diverse subjects as The Proverbial Cynic and When there’s a R in the Month. The result is essential reading for anyone who delights in words.

What's Inside

Read More Read Less