Where did they come from

The Origins of Words and Phrases

The Who, Why and When of Words – Enough to Make your “Mind Boggle”

-Reader’s Digest releases The Origins of Words and Phrases which features countless fascinating linguistic influences -

Whose Uncle was Bob and who was sweet Fanny Adams? What are crocodile tears? Who was the first “devil’s advocate”? The language and phraseology we use every day is full of fascinating history, diverse cultural origins and can be frankly quite hilarious.

Reader’s Digest has joined forces with the experts at Oxford University Press to release The Origins of Words and Phrases. Filled with stories that no dictionary will tell, this book is an unbeatable reference that should be in every household. Covering off well-known phrases as well as everyday words, including a wide range from Australia and New Zealand, there are more than 3,000 alphabetically arranged entries to ensure you’re the “smart alec” of the household (who was he anyway?)

The Origins of Words and Phrases is priced at $59.95 and available online from Reader’s Digest www.readersdigest.com.au  or by contacting Reader’s Digest customer service on 1300 300 086 – Australia only.

The Mature Traveller suggests that this is the ideal present for that “hard-to-buy-for” person. Hundreds of hours of interesting research, with answers.