Author(s): Max Cryer

Reference

'Cloud nine', 'at the drop of a hat', 'spitting image', 'mollycoddle', 'rigmarole', 'round robin', 'spill the beans', 'kick the bucket', 'balderdash' and 'touch wood'.
There are so many curious words and phrases that we often use and yet haven't you ever wondered why we say them, where they come from and what they mean?
Written by language expert Max Cryer, Curious English Words and Phrases has all the answers behind some of the most interesting and perplexing words and expressions in the English language.