Who Said That First? The Curious Origins of Common Words and Phrases

Who first wrote ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, ‘accidentally on purpose’ or ‘no pain, no gain’? Did you know that there is no evidence Queen Victoria said ‘We are not amused’ or Marie Antoinette proclaimed ‘Let them eat cake’, but ‘iron curtain’ was in use for 40 years before Winston Churchill said it, and we have P. G. Wodehouse to thank for ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’? This witty and accessible compendium reveals the obscure origins of over 500 common phrases, dispelling myths and offering plenty of fascinating facts to delight the triviaholic in all of us.