Thomas's friend and fellow engine, Duck, has a close shave while trying to stop runaway trucks.

The stuff of men's lives is sublimely catalogued in this entertaining look at the clever, indispensable and occasionally foolish paraphernalia men routinely used in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s for grooming, smoking, eating, drinking and other essential activities. Includes 150 color illustrations of typical men's trappings of the day.

When Wallace the inventor meets Wendolene in her wool shop, he falls in love with her at once. But why does her dog, Preston, hate Wallace's dog, Gromit? Then, after Wallace's new sheep-shaving and pullover-making machine falls into the wrong hands, things start to go very wrong. Can Gromit save Wallace from the danger of a 'close shave'?

On his deathbed, a village elder tells of a prophecy that will come true soon. A deep snow will set into the world, followed by blades that will scour the land and rip up all the trees and houses. For Wignut, the main village hero, this is just another silly story. So he's not very happy when he has to travel with his trusted aid, Barnabus, to the Caves of Nosterak and collect a sticky substance that will glue down the buildings in their village. Unknown to them, they actually live in a moustache. A Close Shave with Destiny is a comedy fantasy adventure akin to Lord of the Rings, but with more snot and facial hair!From the creator of World Cup Dreams and Super Lizard comes a new comedy that pokes fun at many of the usual fantasy tropes.

Any barbershop worth its Burma Shave will give you not just a cut but a conversation too. In “A Close Shave,” that chat becomes more of a monologue—but pay attention to the quiet fellow under the bib, because he’s got an agenda of his own. Ready for a cut? Step on up—two chairs, no waiting!

(Previously published as “Legends of Lasniniar: A Close Shave” by Jacquelyn Smith.) A cold welcome in Dwarvenhome. Even after a few years as Barlo’s friend, Iarion still feels like an intruder in the underground city. The dwarves’ usual wariness toward elves does not bother him. But Iarion senses something more at work. All of the dwarves seem on edge. Barlo included. And when Iarion learns the real reason behind the rising tensions, he knows he has his work cut out for him. A stand-alone story of friendship, beards, and magic from the Legends of Lasniniar fantasy series by the author of the Fatal Empire series, Jacquelyn Smith. (This adventure takes place between the World of Lasniniar novels Kinslayer and Soul Seeker.)

Sal Maglie was a feared and hated pitcher perhaps best known for his vicious knockdown pitches that made batters tremble. Yet he was also respected as a ferocious competitor, one who pitched with his arm and his head, one who could be depended upon when his team needed a victory, and one who refused to quit, even when faced with a blacklisting, crippling injuries, and advanced age. Off the field, he was an amiable man. This work chronicles the life and career of the man and the player: his unspectacular minor league career, his 1945 debut with Mel Ott's New York Giants, his blacklisting by organized baseball for playing in Jorge Pasquel's Mexican League, and his rejoining the Giants in 1950 at the age of 33. He thereupon established himself as a bona fide big league pitcher, and went on to have a stellar career in the majors that included stints with the Cleveland Indians, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Game-by-game analyses of Maglie's professional career, intimate portraits of the men Maglie played with and against--Mel Ott, Eddie Stanky, Monte Irvin, Jackie Robinson, Carl Furillo, Willie Mays, among others--and a look at baseball as it was played in the 1940s and 1950s are features of the book.

Mum favours can save your neck, being in the wrong place at the right time does exactly that for a reluctant teenager. Unfortunately, his friends don't get off so lightly. This story is based on true events.

Covering over 10,000 idioms and collocations characterized by similarity in their wording or metaphorical idea which do not show corresponding similarity in their meanings, this dictionary presents a unique cross-section of the English language. Though it is designed specifically to assist readers in avoiding the use of inappropriate or erroneous phrases, the book can also be used as a regular phraseological dictionary providing definitions to individual idioms, cliches, and set expressions. Most phrases included in the dictionary are in active current use, making information about their meanings and usage essential to language learners at all levels of proficiency.