The social marketplace for new and used books.

Get started

Learn to sell
Learn to buy
Buy textbooks
Sign up
Buy a giftcard
For the authors

Support

Help
Track a shipment
Terms of use
Privacy policy
Cookies policy

Company

About us
Work with us
Give feedback
Categories

Contact us

Fast delivery with

Safe payments by

Visa
Mastercard
Vipps
Klarna

© 2026 Bookis AS

English

Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Everyday

Hardcover • 2005 • English

Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Everyday

By Albert Jack

0 Ratings • 0.0 of 5

‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌
‌

About the book

Mad hatter . . . pie in the sky . . . egg on your face. We use these phrases every day, yet how many of us know what they really mean or where they came from? From bringing home the bacon to leaving no stone unturned, the English language is peppered with hundreds of common idioms borrowed from ancient traditions and civilizations throughout the world. In Red Herrings and White Elephants, Albert Jack has uncovered the amazing and sometimes downright bizarre stories behind many of our most famili...Show more

Book details

ISBN

9780060843373

Publisher

HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS

Published year

2005

Language

English

Original title

Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origins of the Phrases We Use Everyday

Format

Hardcover

Shippping and returns

Shipping

Used books are shipped by the seller. Expected delivery after package is sent is 2-4 days.

Returns

Contact the seller after delivery.

Reviews · 0

0 Ratings • 0.0 of 5

You might also like

The Little Book of Alice Wonderland's Wit and Wisdom

The Little Book of Alice Wonderland's Wit and Wisdom

Orange Hippo!

A Treasury of British Folklore

A Treasury of British Folklore

Dee Dee Chainey

A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities

A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities

Roy Sorensen

Made in America

Made in America

Bill Bryson

Football Cliches

Football Cliches

Adam Hurrey

The Horologicon A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language

The Horologicon A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language

Mark Forsyth

London Urban Legends

London Urban Legends

Scott Blackwood

Whisky: A Very Peculiar History

Whisky: A Very Peculiar History

Fiona MacDonald

Tequila Mockingbird

Tequila Mockingbird

Tim Federle

It's a Wonderful Word

It's a Wonderful Word

Albert Jack

Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion

Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion

Andrew Delahunty

Is That A Fish In Your Ear?ation

Is That A Fish In Your Ear?ation

David Bellos

Fantastic Fables

Fantastic Fables

Ambrose Bierce

Born Liars

Born Liars

Ian leslie

Black Sheep and Lame Ducks - The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day

Black Sheep and Lame Ducks - The Origins of Even More Phrases We Use Every Day

Albert Jack

A little book of language

A little book of language

David Crystal

Hippo eats dwarf

Hippo eats dwarf

The Old Dog And Duck: The Secret Meanings Of Pub Names

The Old Dog And Duck: The Secret Meanings Of Pub Names

Albert Jack

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Lewis Carroll

Phantom Hitchhikers and Decoy Ducks: The Strange Stories Behind The Urban Legends

Phantom Hitchhikers and Decoy Ducks: The Strange Stories Behind The Urban Legends

Albert Jack

Transforming Worldviews An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change

Transforming Worldviews An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change

Paul G. Hiebert

Red herrings and white elephants

Red herrings and white elephants

Jack, Albert

Lost in Translation Misadventures in English Abroad

Lost in Translation Misadventures in English Abroad

Charlie Croker

Seafaring Lore and Legend

Seafaring Lore and Legend

Peter Jeans

Bears Can't Run Downhill And 200 Other Dubious Pub Facts Explained

Bears Can't Run Downhill And 200 Other Dubious Pub Facts Explained

Robert Anwood

Shoot the Puppy A Survival Guide to the Curious Jargon of Modern Life

Shoot the Puppy A Survival Guide to the Curious Jargon of Modern Life

Tony Thorne

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols

The Complete Dictionary of Symbols

Jack Tresidder

The Dag's Dictionary A Very Funny Book of Words that Should Exist, But Don't

The Dag's Dictionary A Very Funny Book of Words that Should Exist, But Don't

Richard Glover

The Funniest Thing You Never Said The Ultimate Collection of Humorous Quotations

The Funniest Thing You Never Said The Ultimate Collection of Humorous Quotations

Rosemarie Jarski

Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages

Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages

William Donaldson

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany

Schott's Food and Drink Miscellany

Ben Schott

The Complete And Totally True Book Of Urban Legends

The Complete And Totally True Book Of Urban Legends

Ann Fiery

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Elizabeth M. Knowles

Pooh and the Philosophers

Pooh and the Philosophers

John Tyerman Williams

The Complete Book of Practical Proverbs and Wacky Wit

The Complete Book of Practical Proverbs and Wacky Wit

Vernon K. McLellan

The Doubter's Companion A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

The Doubter's Companion A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

John Ralston Saul

The Wordsworth dictionary of phrase and fable

The Wordsworth dictionary of phrase and fable

Ivor H. Evans

The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations

The Penguin Dictionary of Modern Humorous Quotations

Fred Metcalf

The meaning of Liff

The meaning of Liff

Douglas Adams

A dictionary of everyday idioms

A dictionary of everyday idioms

Martin H. Mnaser