What a title! Ths one is a fun read--an examination of many of the odd sayings we use daily without thinking of their origins. The title refers to one of those sayings, and gives an in-depth examination of the author's efforts to find the source of the term. Did he find it? Not really, but his search went a long way back and found many possible explanations.
Other sayings in the book: feathering your nest, cock and bull, ringing the changes, lion's share, woolgathering, in the bag, bolt from the blue, sold down the river--and many, many more. First published in 1948 and re-issued in paperback in 1985, this book is fun to browse, and I was surprised at how many of the expressions I use regularly. So don't bark up the wrong tree or be caught holding the bag--this book is the real McCoy and definitely of the first water.
Hog on Ice and Other Curious Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, 1985, Harper & Row, NY.
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