Why You Say It: The Fascinating Stories Behind Over 600 Everyday Words and Phrases

Are you more likely .. .

to take the bull by the horns or beat around the bush? Don't let anyone call you on the carpet for failing to put your best foot forward. That would be a bitter pill to swallow. In the long run, it's easier to just bite the bullet and get your ducks in a row. After all, nobody likes the taste of humble pie.

You've likely uttered at least one of these adages within the last week, but have you ever stopped to consider where such conversational staples originated? Why You Say It reveals the backstory of more than six hundred words and phrases that pepper our everyday dialogue. This catalog of our language's most colorful expressions delivers an illuminating read for anyone curious about the evolution of words.