Lyons Regional Library

The Noisette family help the reader to learn French vocabulary as they explain things around the home and introduce themselves.

The story of "shy young Peter Mark Roget, [for whom] books were the best companions--and it wasn't long before Peter began writing his own book. But he didn't write stories; he wrote lists. Peter took his love for words and turned it to organizing ideas and finding exactly the right word to express just what he thought. His lists grew and grew, eventually turning into one of the most important reference books of all time"--Amazon.com.

"An individual collection of phrases, fancied by the author because of their place in our language, this sometimes goes back 2,000 years for the original practice, and gives an. . . account of the altering of meanings, and clues by which he traced the story of the sayings."

Thirty common English phrases, such as "a chip off the old block" and "cry over spilled milk" are illustrated and explained.

"How more than 400 colorful and familiar expressions originated and developed"--Cover subtitle.

An alphabetical listing of common figures of speech, along with their definitions and origins.

Rhyming text and illustrations introduce a variety of collective nouns such as a "drift of swans" and a "clutch of eggs.".

Explains and gives examples of over 900 literary terms.

Previously published in four separate volumes, this collection presents the history of over 2000 curious words, expressions, and sayings.