A Hog on Ice

Tells the origins and meanings of many many sayings- over four hundred of them. It's a nice read especially if you are interested in etymology. The forward describes in detail how the author sought out the original meaning of the phrase "as independent as a hog on ice"; the rest of the entries simply outline what the final findings were. Most of the expressions I had heard before, a few were entirely unfamiliar to me. Some I had an idea where they came from, others it was the opposite of what I would have assumed. Lots are from political moments in history, old arcane practices, or mispronunciations of former word forms (many of the expressions are centuries old). In some cases the author found no evidence at all, so he surmised a best show more guess.

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"A Hog On Ice simultaneously tickles and informs it's reader. Writing as the vaudevillian used to play the fiddle, for his own amazement, Dr.Funk has set down with humor and scholarship the best and most plausible explanations he could pry out of past records and living persons." - S.C. Gross, N.Y. Times

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