Have you ever let the cat out of the bag?

Or tried to bury the hatchet with an old enemy?

How many times have you looked outside and it was raining cats and dogs?

This is just a small sampling of the dozens of silly phrases we all use and hear
regularly—but does anyone really know where these sayings came from or what they even mean? Common Phrases and Where They Come From, Second Edition, offers over two hundred of these quirky idioms and explores the intriguing origins and history behind each.