Unravel the meaning origin & usage of over 6 000 phrases from book & film titles idioms & cliches to nicknames slogans "ations with this modern & entertaining guide to wonderful phrases by one of the world s best-known wordsmiths. The ideal replacement or complement to that tatty old copy of Brewers Phrase & Fable most of us have about the house A Word in Your Shell-Like is an entertaining look at both familiar & unfamiliar phrases by one of the key world authorities in English language reference. The articles also contain discussion of meaning origin & usage. Who was originally sold down the river? Have you been told to Naff off? Find out of whom it was said he couldnt chew gum & fart at the same time who the catcher in the rye was & what it means to be caught between wind & water. Few other word reference books are likely to increase your store of knowledge with such fun.