Black Cats April Fools Origins Of Old Wives Tales And Superstitions In Our Daily Lives
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| Author | : Harry Oliver |
| Publisher | : Metro Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 156 |
| Release | : 2009-06-01 |
| Genre | : Humor |
| ISBN | : 1857829476 |
We have all touched wood to ward off misfortune, or seen a bride throw a bouquet over her head at a wedding, but how often do we stop to think about where such customs come from, or why we still use them? The truth is that behind many of our daily rituals and beliefs lies a fascinating history of weird and wonderful notions, some rational, others fanciful, that provide a rich and entertaining addition to our lives. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, best-selling author Harry Oliver has delved into the stories behind our rich traditions to explain them to us with characteristic wit and flair, in a gem of a volume that will clear up any of the niggling doubts you may have about our everyday beliefs. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday 13th or tell someone that chocolate will give them spots, dip into this amazing tome and discover the truth about our diverse beliefs so that next time your ear itches you'll know if someone's really talking about you!
| Author | : Chloe Rhodes |
| Publisher | : Michael O'Mara |
| Total Pages | : 216 |
| Release | : 2012-09-13 |
| Genre | : Social Science |
| ISBN | : 1843179164 |
This book illuminates the customs, beliefs and practices that link us to an ancient, and often darker, human past.
| Author | : Harry Oliver |
| Publisher | : Metro Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 256 |
| Release | : 2010-10-05 |
| Genre | : Humor |
| ISBN | : 1843582546 |
Fromstiff upper lipto stomping grounds, an amusing look at the history behind commonly-used words and phrasesWhat makes someone "pleased as punch?" Why is New York City called "The Big Apple?" Why do we "dress to the nines?"And what does it mean to escape by the "skin of your teeth?" Every day speech is peppered with hundreds of phrases and expressions, but rarely are their origins contemplated. This intriguing survey delves deep into the history behind hundreds of common words and turns of phrase and uncovers their fascinating and amusing sources. From ancient idioms to up-to-the minute lingo, this is the perfect resource for etymologists and language-lovers alike."
| Author | : Harry Oliver |
| Publisher | : Penguin |
| Total Pages | : 170 |
| Release | : 2010-09-07 |
| Genre | : Reference |
| ISBN | : 1101442816 |
Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and clutch your rabbit's foot a little tighter. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, Harry Oliver delves into the stories behind the traditions and superstitions that permeate our everyday lives, unearthing the fascinating histories of these weird and wonderful notions. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under any ladders, dip into this amazing tome and discover: *Why breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. *The best day of the week to ask for a favor. *Why you should never jump over a child in Turkey.
| Author | : Harry Oliver |
| Publisher | : Metro Publishing, Limited |
| Total Pages | : 292 |
| Release | : 2007 |
| Genre | : Humor |
| ISBN | : 9781844544745 |
Why did Isaac Newton invent the cat flap? How did the first mousetrap come about? Why did it take nearly 20 years to make sliced bread?From the moment the alarm clock wakes us up in the morning until the time we switch the light off at night, we are surrounded by things without which our lives would be impossible: microwaves, televisions, cars, cell phones, and credit cards—the list is endless. Yet how often do we consider how such miniature wonders of our lives came about, who invented them, and why? The answers are often incredibly interesting. In this delightful volume, Harry Oliver reveals the most diverting and amusing stories that lie behind the objects and inventions we take for granted, from household items to the technology that fills our world. Everything around us was born from an idea, and as you read the pages in this book, the ordinary will soon appear rather more extraordinary than it did before.
| Author | : Sally Coulthard |
| Publisher | : Quadrille Publishing |
| Total Pages | : 0 |
| Release | : 2019-09-17 |
| Genre | : Social Science |
| ISBN | : 9781787133631 |
Superstitions have captured our imaginations for centuries but we are often unaware of where they came from and why. In her new book Superstition, Sally Coulthard explores the history and background of 50 of these fascinating cultural behaviours, how they affected our everyday, and how many of these beliefs still permeate modern life. From opening umbrellas indoors to not putting new shoes on the table, Sally gets under the skin of these peculiar pastimes and reveals how they started and why they became so popular.
| Author | : Edgar Allan Poe |
| Publisher | : SAMPI Books |
| Total Pages | : 20 |
| Release | : 2024-01-29 |
| Genre | : Fiction |
| ISBN | : 658593413X |
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" is a short story that explores themes of guilt and perversity. The narrator, haunted by cruelty to his black cat and acts of domestic violence, is consumed by paranoia and madness. His attempt to conceal a crime leads to his own disgrace.
| Author | : Mary Chamberlain |
| Publisher | : The History Press |
| Total Pages | : 192 |
| Release | : 2012-05-30 |
| Genre | : Social Science |
| ISBN | : 0752486799 |
From goddesses and witches to modern-day doctors—an entertaining history of women healers featuring an A–Z of remedies The woman healer is as old as history—for millennia she has been doctor, nurse, and midwife, and even in the age of modern medicine her wisdom is handed down in the form of old wives' tales. Using extensive research into archives and original texts, and numerous conversations with women in city and countryside, Mary Chamberlain presents a stimulating challenge to the history of orthodox medicine and an illuminating survey of female wisdom which goes back to the earliest times.What are old wives’ tales? Where do they come from? Do they really work? These questions, and many more, are answered in this fascinating compendium of remedies and cures handed down from mother to daughter from the beginning of time. We may all know that stewed prunes are a cure for constipation, but how many of us were aware that a poultice of chicken manure is a remedy for baldness? Or that eel liver will aid a difficult labor?
| Author | : Albert Jack |
| Publisher | : Penguin |
| Total Pages | : 234 |
| Release | : 2009-09-29 |
| Genre | : Literary Criticism |
| ISBN | : 1101162961 |
From the international bestselling author of Red Herrings and White Elephants—a curious guide to the hidden histories of classic nursery rhymes. Who was Mary Quite Contrary, or Georgie Porgie? How could Hey Diddle Diddle offer an essential astronomy lesson? Do Jack and Jill actually represent the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette? And if Ring Around the Rosie isn’t about the plague, then what is it really about? This book is a quirky, curious, and sometimes sordid look at the truth behind popular nursery rhymes that uncovers the strange tales that inspired them—from Viking raids to political insurrection to smuggling slaves to freedom. Read Albert Jack's posts on the Penguin Blog.
| Author | : Jostein Gaarder |
| Publisher | : Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Total Pages | : 599 |
| Release | : 2007-03-20 |
| Genre | : Fiction |
| ISBN | : 1466804270 |
A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?" From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning—but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.
