November 1, 2009 I Love It When You Talk Retro (St. Martin’s) by Ralph Keyes explains the origins of colorful phrases for which younger people may have no cultural context, like saying someone sounds like a broken record or an object is bigger than a breadbox.
Sophisticated Hokum
A [screen]writer’s website and blog by J.K. Radomski Retro Speak: The Houston Chronicle ran a short interview with Ralph Keyes last week. He’s the author of the book I Love It When You Talk Retro: Hoochie Coochie, Double Whammy, Drop a Dime and the Forgotten Origins of American Speech, which looks at the origins of …
Book Nook II
Click here for part two.
Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
Author’s ‘Love Affair With Euphemisms’ is a classic My dictionary defines “euphemism” as: “the substitution of a mild or indirect expression for one thought to be offensive or blunt.” We all employ euphemisms, some of us more than others. They can soften verbal blows. They can help us to circle around unpleasant topics. Ralph Keyes …
Why I Write
Publishers Weekly, May 11, 2009
WORTH EVERY PENNY
From Amazon.com 4 stars Phillip G. Knightley This book does exactly what the title says it does. All those quotes you use from time to time and never know the source are now a thing of the past. I wrote a book once called “The First Casualty”, taken from the quote “The first casualty when …