Verbivore's Feast
A Banquet of Word and Phrase Origins

by Chrysti Mueller Smith

published by Farcountry Press

• After spending some time out of print, Verbivore's Feast is now available as an ebook!

  What led to the expression "let the cat out of the bag"? Why do we call blondes "towheads"? For Pete's sake, what is a fangle?

  In this humorous and engaging collection of word origins and histories, the famed host of the "Chrysti the Wordsmith" series (heard on Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, Montana State University's KGLT-FM, and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) shares the stories behind the words. This irresistible medley is a must for word lovers everywhere.

Did you know?
• The word ukulele was inspired by the flea?
• When you're delirious, you're "plowing your field in crooked rows."
• St. Audrey, an English abbess, died from a throat tumor in A.D. 679. Her life and death inspired the word tawdry.
• If you're mediocre, you're only "halfway up the mountain."
• A disgruntled 18th century English playwright was the first to complain that someone stole his thunder.