Ostler, Rosemarie. Let's Talk Turkey: The Stories behind America's Favorite Expressions.(Brief article)(Book review)

Ostler, Rosemarie. Let's Talk Turkey: The Stories Behind America's Favorite Expressions. Prometheus. 2008. c.240p. bibliog. ISBN 978-1-59102-625-9. pap. $18.95. LANG

This fascinating book provides a valuable history of more than 150 intriguing expressions in categories such as business, the outdoors, people and places, and games. Linguist Ostler (alumna, Univ. of Iowa; Dewdroppers, Waldos, and Slackers: A Decade-by-Decade Guide to the Vanishing Vocabulary of the Twentieth Century) traces each expression from its first known appearance in print to its modern-day usage. Some of the …