Catchphrase, Slogan & Cliche is for anyone seeking the meanings or origins of hundreds of the expressions that enrich our everyday speech. From phrases that go back to Norman times, through proverbs, catch phrases and quotations, right up to modern expressions, this book takes an informed and amusing look at the origins of some of the more colourful sayings that passed into everyday currency.

An editor of "Roget's Thesaurus" has collected more than 1,500 of the world's favorite cliches, categorizing them according to origin and most common meaning.

Informed by Erik Erikson's concept of the formation of ego identity, this book, which first appreared in 1961, is an analysis of the experiences of fifteen Chinese citizens and twenty-five Westerners who underwent "brainwashing" by the Communist Chinese government. Robert Lifton constructs these case histories through personal interviews and outlines a thematic pattern of death and rebirth, accompanied by feelings of guilt, that characterizes the process of "thought reform." In a new preface, Lifton addresses the implications of his model for the study of American religious cults.

"By hook or by bishop's crook, Ventianus will see him dead by nightfall." While Cuthbert and Eadmund pursue a thief through the deserted streets of an enemy city, others plot to turn their help into harm and their honour into shame. Outwitted and outnumbered, they stumble into a nest of conspiracies that may send Britain crashing back into the bloodshed and chaos from which it just emerged. But Eadmund has more in the game than Cuthbert knows, and deciding who to trust may become the most dangerous choice of all.Every treasure has a secret, every saint has a past.

Speechwriting is the definitive guide to writing a speech, revealing all the tools and techniques of the trade, such as how to win an argument, construct a sound bite and perform on stage. The first part of the book covers the arts of persuasion, argument, story telling and metaphor, providing a solid grounding in the theory of speechwriting, which should appeal to anyone with an interest in politics, communication or language. The second part covers the crafts of editing, sound bites, media manipulation, performance and strategy, giving invaluable practical guidance to professional or aspiring speechwriters. This book combines academic rigour with practical nous, drawing on lessons from Aristotle to Obama. It is the essential guide for anyone who writes speeches, for themselves or others, in politics, PR or business.

How do we find the right word for the job? Where does that word come from? Why do we spell it like that? And how do we know what it means? Words are all around us - we use them every day to communicate our joys, fears, hopes, opinions, wishes and demands - but we don't often think about them too deeply. In this highly accessible introduction to English words, the reader will discover what the study of words can tell them about the extraordinary richness and complexity of our daily vocabulary and about the nature of language in general. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, the book covers a wide range of topics, including the structure of words, the meaning of words, how their spelling relates to pronunciation, how new words are manufactured or imported from other languages, and how the meaning of words changes with the passage of time. It also investigates how the mind deals with words by highlighting the amazing intellectual feat performed routinely when the right word is retrieved from the mental dictionary. This revised and expanded second edition brings the study of words right up to date with coverage of text messaging and email and includes new material on psycholinguistics and word meaning. With lively examples from a range of sources - encompassing poetry, jokes, journalism, advertising and clichés - and including practical exercises and a fully comprehensive glossary, English Words is an entertaining introduction to the study of words and will be of interest to anyone who uses them.

'John Foster's book is a 'How To' guide that gives a solid grounding in the writing requirements of the PR business. It covers a lot of ground in a complex but rewarding subject.'Writing MagazineEffective Writing Skills for Public Relations is a valuable reference source on the basis of style and presentation with helpful hints on making the best use of written communication. It advises on how to write concisely using jargon-free language whilst avoiding overused words and phrases. There is guidance on policing house style with emphasis on consistency and advice on punctuation, headlines and captions. As well as this there are tips on what makes a good press release and how to use effective design and layout to produce easy to read text. Readers will also find help on public speaking, pronunciation and the standard writing skills needed in the office.This third edition includes five new chapters covering editing skills, the importance of written tone of voice, what makes a good annual report, the legal issues facing writers and the use of Americanisms. Standard proof correction marks are included together with a glossary of terms.This is an essential hands-on practical guide for anyone earning a living through the written or spoken word.

This book offers a pragmatic account of the interpretation of everyday metaphorical and idiomatic expressions. Using the framework of Relevance Theory, it reanalyses the results of recent experimental research on figurative utterances and provides a novel account of the interplay of creativity and convention in figurative interpretation, showing how features ‘emerge’ during metaphor comprehension and how literal meaning contributes to idiom comprehension. The central claim is that the mind is rather selective when processing information, and that in the pragmatic interpretation of both literal and figurative utterances, this selectivity often results in the creation of new (‘ad hoc’) concepts or the standardization of pragmatic routines. With this approach, the comprehension of metaphors and idioms requires no special pragmatic principles or procedures not required for the interpretation of ordinary literal utterances, but follows from an automatic tendency towards selective processing which is itself a by-product of Sperber and Wilson’s Cognitive Principle of Relevance.

Spilling the Beans on the Cat's Pyjamas provides us with the meanings of our well-worn and much-loved phrases by putting these linguistic quirks in context, and explaining how and why they were first used.

Writing Skills for Public Relations is filled with helpful pointers and useful examples for public relations practitioners at all levels who need to make the best use of written communication. Covering both style and presentation, it addresses the dos and don'ts of English grammar, including jargon and clichés, as well as important legal considerations. Along with guidance on editing, policing house style, writing for the press, public speaking, pronunciation and good text design and layout, this fifth edition provides valuable advice on writing for online and social media. This is an essential hands-on practical guide for anyone earning a living through the written or spoken word.