Cool Cats and Top Dogs

Rating:
Summary: More than just a lot of words...
Review: It's hard not to be dazzled by this remarkable compendium of some 1200 everyday expressions that refer to our animal friends. Ammer offers much more than a superficial alphabetical listing of words and phrases, although the complete index makes it easy to use this delightful and informative volume for reference as well as for casual browsing; rather, she presents the reader with a user-friendly collection of topical essays that explore the origins, history, and usage of each of the terms she considers. Never dry or pedantic, the book delves with surprising depth into the etymology and meaning of fauna-related words and the expressions that have grown up around them. For a book aimed at the general public, the level of scholarship is remarkably high. This is an extraordinary book that teaches while it entertains.