{"product_id":"black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-isbn-9780399535123","title":"Black Sheep and Lame Ducks","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe fun and fascinating follow-up to the international bestseller \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Why do people put their \"skeletons in a closet,\" \"have a hunch,\" \"get the cold shoulder,\" \"get dressed up to the nines,\" or \"call a spade a spade?\" These phrases are used every day, yet most people have little or no idea where most of them come from. In \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, Albert Jack takes readers on a journey through the curious- and often bizarre-origins of hundreds of their favorite idioms and expressions. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e For example, \"wearing your heart on your sleeve\" comes from the Middle Ages, when a lady would \"give her heart\" in the form of a handkerchief pinned to the sleeve of a knight who was about to go into battle. And calling someone the \"black sheep in the family\" refers to a thousands- year-old belief that a black lamb in a flock was unpopular because its fleece was undyeable and therefore less valuable. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With \u003ci\u003eBlack Sheep and Lame Ducks\u003c\/i\u003e, any language-lover can feel like a \"Smart Aleck\"-and also know exactly who that was.Albert Jack’s \u003ci\u003eRed Herrings and White Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e was a huge international hit and was on the bestsellers list for sixteen months. His second, \u003ci\u003eShaggy Dogs and Black Sheep\u003c\/i\u003e was another success: selling over 70,000 copies. He is also the author of \u003ci\u003eThat's Bollocks!\u003c\/i\u003e (all the strangest, sickest, funniest and most unforgettable urban legends as told in Jack's inimitable style) and \u003ci\u003eAlbert Jack's Ten-Minute Mysteries\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Tarcher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301235151077,"sku":"NP9780399535123","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780399535123.jpg?v=1767722720","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/black-sheep-and-lame-ducks-isbn-9780399535123","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}