The Play of Words

Do you know the connection between the expression A HARROWING EXPERIENCE and agriculture, between BY AND LARGE and sailing, between GET YOUR GOAT and horses, or between STEAL YOUR THUNDER and show business? You probably have heard the comparisons HAPPY AS A CLAM, SMART AS A WHIP, PLEASED AS PUNCH, DEAD AS A DOORNAIL - but have you ever wondered why a clam should be happy, a whip smart, punch pleased, and a doornail dead? By playing the fifty games in this book, you'll discover the answers to these questions as well as hundreds of other semantic delights that repose in our marvelous English language.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 09/01/1991
ISBN: 9780671689094
Pages: 288
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 8.53h x 5.55w x 0.71d