Black Cats April Fools Origins Of Old Wives Tales And Superstitions In Our Daily Lives

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Metro Publishing
Page : 156 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2009-06-01
Category : Humor
ISBN : 9781857829471

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Black Cats & April Fools - Origins of Old Wives Tales and Superstitions in Our Daily Lives by Harry Oliver Pdf

We have all touched wood to ward off misfortune, or seen a bride throw a bouquet over her head at a wedding, but how often do we stop to think about where such customs come from, or why we still use them? The truth is that behind many of our daily rituals and beliefs lies a fascinating history of weird and wonderful notions, some rational, others fanciful, that provide a rich and entertaining addition to our lives. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, best-selling author Harry Oliver has delved into the stories behind our rich traditions to explain them to us with characteristic wit and flair, in a gem of a volume that will clear up any of the niggling doubts you may have about our everyday beliefs. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday 13th or tell someone that chocolate will give them spots, dip into this amazing tome and discover the truth about our diverse beliefs so that next time your ear itches you'll know if someone's really talking about you!

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 0399536094

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Black Cats & Four-leaf Clovers by Harry Oliver Pdf

Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and clutch your rabbit's foot a little tighter. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, Harry Oliver delves into the stories behind the traditions and superstitions that permeate our everyday lives, unearthing the fascinating histories of these weird and wonderful notions. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under any ladders, dip into this amazing tome and discover: * Why breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. * The best day of the week to ask for a favor. * Why you should never jump over a child in Turkey.

Author : Chloe Rhodes
Publisher : Michael O'Mara
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2012-09-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781843179160

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Black Cats and Evil Eyes by Chloe Rhodes Pdf

This collection investigates the origins of our most intriguing old-fashioned superstitions, many of which we still find ourselves abiding by today. Hundreds of the beliefs passed down through the generations have their foundations in our ancestors' efforts to ward off evil, which they blamed for hardship, illness and injustice in times when life was, as often as not, 'nasty, brutish and short'. Black Cats and Evil Eyes sets these superstitions in their historical and social context, explaining how fear of the Devil, demons, evil spirits and witchcraft drove people to arm themselves with rituals and talismans to repel dark forces and allow them to live long and healthy lives. In examining many of our common superstitions, this book illuminates the customs, beliefs and practices that link us to an ancient, and often darker, human past.

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Metro Publishing
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2010-10-05
Category : Humor
ISBN : 9781843582540

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Bees Knees and Barmy Armies - Origins of the Words and Phrases We Use Every Day by Harry Oliver Pdf

Fromstiff upper lipto stomping grounds, an amusing look at the history behind commonly-used words and phrasesWhat makes someone "pleased as punch?" Why is New York City called "The Big Apple?" Why do we "dress to the nines?"And what does it mean to escape by the "skin of your teeth?" Every day speech is peppered with hundreds of phrases and expressions, but rarely are their origins contemplated. This intriguing survey delves deep into the history behind hundreds of common words and turns of phrase and uncovers their fascinating and amusing sources. From ancient idioms to up-to-the minute lingo, this is the perfect resource for etymologists and language-lovers alike."

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 166 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2010-09-07
Category : Reference
ISBN : 9781101442814

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Black Cats & Four-Leaf Clovers by Harry Oliver Pdf

Cross your fingers, knock on wood, and clutch your rabbit's foot a little tighter. In this charming and endlessly diverting book, Harry Oliver delves into the stories behind the traditions and superstitions that permeate our everyday lives, unearthing the fascinating histories of these weird and wonderful notions. So before you search for any more four-leaf clovers, worry about the next Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under any ladders, dip into this amazing tome and discover: *Why breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. *The best day of the week to ask for a favor. *Why you should never jump over a child in Turkey.

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Metro Publishing, Limited
Page : 292 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2007
Category : Humor
ISBN : 1844544745

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Cat Flaps and Mouse Traps by Harry Oliver Pdf

Why did Isaac Newton invent the cat flap? How did the first mousetrap come about? Why did it take nearly 20 years to make sliced bread?From the moment the alarm clock wakes us up in the morning until the time we switch the light off at night, we are surrounded by things without which our lives would be impossible: microwaves, televisions, cars, cell phones, and credit cards—the list is endless. Yet how often do we consider how such miniature wonders of our lives came about, who invented them, and why? The answers are often incredibly interesting. In this delightful volume, Harry Oliver reveals the most diverting and amusing stories that lie behind the objects and inventions we take for granted, from household items to the technology that fills our world. Everything around us was born from an idea, and as you read the pages in this book, the ordinary will soon appear rather more extraordinary than it did before.

Author : Sally Coulthard
Publisher : Quadrille Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2019-09-17
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 178713363X

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Superstition by Sally Coulthard Pdf

Superstitions have captured our imaginations for centuries but we are often unaware of where they came from and why. In her new book Superstition, Sally Coulthard explores the history and background of 50 of these fascinating cultural behaviours, how they affected our everyday, and how many of these beliefs still permeate modern life. From opening umbrellas indoors to not putting new shoes on the table, Sally gets under the skin of these peculiar pastimes and reveals how they started and why they became so popular.

Author : Edgar Allan Poe
Publisher : SAMPI Books
Page : 20 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2024-01-29
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9786585934138

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The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe Pdf

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat" is a short story that explores themes of guilt and perversity. The narrator, haunted by cruelty to his black cat and acts of domestic violence, is consumed by paranoia and madness. His attempt to conceal a crime leads to his own disgrace.

Author : Deborah Murrell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Reference
ISBN : PSU:000065278925

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Superstitions by Deborah Murrell Pdf

Social sciences.

Author : Mary Chamberlain
Publisher : The History Press
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-30
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780752486796

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Old Wives' Tales by Mary Chamberlain Pdf

From goddesses and witches to modern-day doctors—an entertaining history of women healers featuring an A–Z of remedies The woman healer is as old as history—for millennia she has been doctor, nurse, and midwife, and even in the age of modern medicine her wisdom is handed down in the form of old wives' tales. Using extensive research into archives and original texts, and numerous conversations with women in city and countryside, Mary Chamberlain presents a stimulating challenge to the history of orthodox medicine and an illuminating survey of female wisdom which goes back to the earliest times.What are old wives’ tales? Where do they come from? Do they really work? These questions, and many more, are answered in this fascinating compendium of remedies and cures handed down from mother to daughter from the beginning of time. We may all know that stewed prunes are a cure for constipation, but how many of us were aware that a poultice of chicken manure is a remedy for baldness? Or that eel liver will aid a difficult labor?

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Metro Publishing, Limited
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Inventions
ISBN : 1843581922

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Cat Flaps and Mousetraps by Harry Oliver Pdf

Take a look around, pick an object, and guess how it may have come about in the first place - if the story's worth telling, the chances are it'll be in this little tome. It really is the best thing since sliced bread, whoever invented that!

Author : Harry Oliver
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : Aphorisms and apothegms
ISBN : 1322762805

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Black Cats & Four-leaf Clovers by Harry Oliver Pdf

Author : Albert Jack
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2008-08-28
Category : Humor
ISBN : 9780141909301

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Pop Goes the Weasel by Albert Jack Pdf

Mr Jack has been nimble and he’s been quick, searching through the history of nursery rhymes and he’s found out all kind of plum tales, just like little Jack Horner. He's unearthed the answers to some very curious questions... Who were Mary Quite Contrary and Georgie Porgie? How could Hey Diddle Diddle offer an essential astronomy lesson? And if Ring a Ring a Roses isn’t about catching the plague, then, what is it really about? The ingenious book delves into the hidden meanings of the nursery rhymes and songs we all know so well and discovers all kinds of strange tales ranging from Viking raids to firewalking and from political rebellion to slaves being smuggled to freedom. Children have always played at being grown up and all kinds of episodes in our history are still being re-enacted today in a series of dark games (Oranges and Lemons traces a condemned man’s journey across London to his execution, Goosie Gander is about dragging a hidden Catholic priest to prison) And there are many many more... Full of vivid illustrations and with each verse reproduced, here are a multitude of surprising stories you won’t be able to resist passing on to everyone you know. Your childhood songs and rhymes will never sound the same again.

Author : Richard Webster
Publisher : Llewellyn Worldwide
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2012-09-08
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780738725611

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The Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Richard Webster Pdf

Have you ever rubbed a frog on your freckles? Trivia fans and fun fact fanatics will adore this fascinating, flickable encyclopedia of superstitions! Richard Webster presents over five hundred of the most obscure, curious, and just-plain-freaky superstitions of the Western world. Discover batty beliefs about baldness, beans, and the Bermuda Triangle, and peculiar practices regarding hiccups, hearses, and hunchbacks. From modern myths to centuries-old lore, The Encyclopedia of Superstitions offers a wealth of wonderfully weird beliefs on just about every topic you can imagine: Holidays Birth Death Weddings Colors Gemstones Trees Flowers Fairies Weather Numbers Animals Birds Insects Household Items Zodiac Signs Gambling The Human Body Food Praise: "[T]his reference makes for compulsive browsing."—Publishers Weekly

Author : Astra Cielo
Publisher : Read Books Ltd
Page : 113 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2020-10-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781528763011

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Signs, Omens and Superstitions by Astra Cielo Pdf

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.