This enormous collection of almost one thousand pages contains the four previously published bestselling titles, A Hog on Ice, Thereby Hangs, A Tale, Heavens to Betsy! and Horsefeathers. How did the expression "a wild goose chase" originate? Why does the word "dunce" come from the great philosopher, Duns Scotus? Dr. Funk has taken these and over 2000 other curious words, expressions and sayings that we use in our daily speech and traced them back through the years to find their amusing, practical and surprising origins. These sayings are derived from classical sources, historic events, famous literature, frontier humor and the frailties of mankind: - Take 40 Winks - Let the cat out of the bag - Bark up the wrong tree - Walk the chalk