Kicking the Bucket at the Drop of a Hat: The Meaning and Origins of Popular Expressions - Tapa blanda

A fascinating collection of the many unusual and vibrant phrases that adorn our language, looking at their origins and meanings.

Don't be down in the dumps if you can't cut the mustard when asked the definition of certain phrases - this down-to-earth guide is just the ticket.

This collection contains some intriguing and remarkable stories about our best-loved and most colourful phrases and shows the huge range of sources from which they originate.

From advertising to the Ancient Greeks, from the military to meteorology, Kicking the Bucket at the Drop of a Hat takes us on a wonderful journey through our language's history.

With more phrases than you can shake a stick at, this collection will bring home the bacon for any Tom, Dick or Harry with a love of language.

Caroline Taggart worked in publishing as an editor of popular non-fiction for thirty years before being asked by Michael O'Mara Books to write I Used to Know That, which became a Sunday Times bestseller. Following that she was co-author of My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me'?), and wrote a number of other books about words and English usage. She has appeared frequently on television and on national and regional radio, talking about language, grammar and whether or not Druids Cross should have an apostrophe.

Her website is carolinetaggart.co.uk and you can follow her on Twitter @citaggart.