Holy Mackerel

Holy Mackerel! is a quiz book about the Christianity that surrounds us; in our people, our places, our music, our books, and our beliefs-past and present. It is a book that illustrates the vastness and endurance of the work of the Church in increasingly secular societies and, consequently, the profound impact that Christianity continues to have in the evolution of Western culture. Its questions and answers reach into every aspect of the work and mission of the church, and how its practice and theology continues to be reflected in the culture of the Western world.

We love animals but insult humans by calling them everything from weasels or pigs to sheep, mice, chickens, sharks, snakes, and bird-brains. Animal epithets, words, and phrases are so widespread we often take them for granted or remain ignorant of the fascinating stories and facts behind them. Spanning the entire animal kingdom, Holy Cow! explains: Why hot dogs are named after canines. Why people talk turkey or go cold turkey. Why curiosity killed the cat, although dogs are more curious about us. Why letting the cat out of the bag originally referred to a duped shopper. What a horse of another color is, what horsefeathers politely alludes to, why a mule is a lady’s slipper, and what horseradish has to do with horses. Why the combination of humans and cows probably led to capitalism—its name from Latin for head, as in heads of cows. Why holy cow and sacred cow have almost opposite meanings. Whether people actually chewed the fat or ate crow (and why it’s a crowbar). How a hog became a motorcycle and a chick a young woman. What happens to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. What buck has to do with being naked. Why the birds and the bees. Why a piggy bank and why one feeds the kitty. What lame ducks have to do with U.S. presidents. How red herring came about via activists opposed to fox hunting. Where snake oil, popular in the 1800s and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, came from. That the proverbial fly in the ointment goes back to the Bible’s Ecclesiastes (10:1). How Swiss watchmakers created teensy-weensy coaches for fleas to pull in flea circuses. And much—much!—more. Don't be a lame duck and get this book!

No other nonhuman source has served as the basis for more metaphors than animals. Speaking of Animals is a dictionary of animal metaphors that are current in American English. It is comprehensive, historical, and metaphor-based. Each entry refers to the other dictionaries that catalog that same metaphor, and the dates of first appearance in writing are supplied, where possible, for both the metaphor and the name of the source. The main text is organized alphabetically by metaphor rather than by animal or animal behavior; all the metaphors are classified according to their animal source in a list at the end of the book. An animal metaphor is a word, phrase, or sentence that expresses a resemblance or similarity between someone or something and a particular animal or animal class. True metaphors are single words, such as the noun tiger, the verb hog, and the adjective chicken. Phrasal metaphors combine true metaphors with other words, such as blind tiger, hog the road, and chicken colonel. Other animal metaphors take the form of similes, such as like rats leaving a sinking ship and prickly as a hedgehog. Still others take the form of proverbs, such as Don't count your chickens before they hatch and Let sleeping dogs lie. The horse is the animal most frequently referred to in metaphors, followed closely by the dog. The Bible is the most prolific literary source of animal metaphors, followed closely by Shakespeare.

MissingMilo Hamilton has called 11 no-hitters and a World Series, often in tandem with such broadcast legends as Jack Buck, Jack Brickhouse, Bob Elson, and Harry Caray. His work was so well-received that he was enshrined into the broadcasters? wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. He received an even more unexpected honor eight years later ? election to the exclusive Radio Hall of Fame, of which only seven other baseball broadcasters belong. He has truly managed to work his way up from humble origins. The story he tells in Making Airwaves: 60 Years at Milo's Microphone is a profile in courage, a tale of talent and determination, and a behind-the-scenes look at seven decades of baseball history.

Once considered a wasteland by beer connoisseurs, Florida recently awakened to the craft beer phenomenon. Finally, “good beer” can be found throughout the state, and enthusiasts are flocking to tasting rooms to meet friends for a pint or fill their growlers. The Great Florida Craft Beer Guide is all you need to find local, distinctive beer wherever you are in the Sunshine State. Longtime craft beer columnist Mark DeNote takes you on a tour from Destin to Key West, from award-winning breweries to hidden tasting rooms, from hefeweizens and pale ales to saisons and stouts. Through exclusive interviews with brewers and owners, he shares the stories of their foundings, their brewing philosophies and methods, and insider tips about each brewery’s staple and seasonal beers. DeNote not only provides unparalleled access to the breweries but also offers an enlightening history of Florida brewing that includes forgotten establishments like Jacksonville Brewing Company, Orlando’s Atlantic, and Miami’s Flamingo. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, a newbie or a beer snob, The Great Florida Craft Beer Guide is essential reading. Turn the page and pour a cold one!

When Phineas and Ferb find out that their grandma Betty Jo used to be a roller-derby queen, they build an awesome rink—right in their backyard! Soon they discover that Jeremy Johnson's grandmother used to be their Grandma's skating rival, so they set up a contest to see which granny can roller derby her way to the finish line the fastest. The thrills continue when Phineas and Ferb build a gorge so their grandpa can do a radical stunt jump over it!

Climb aboard the Holy Mackerel with an adventurous cat named Arkansas and his friends Beau and Rylan as they go back in time to meet Ship O. Hoy, Arkansas's great-great-great-great-grandfather who was on the ark with Noah. While on this great adventure, you will learn life lessons that can apply to your everyday life while discovering more about what Noah and Ship O. Hoy experienced when they built the ark and in the time they spent on the ark during the great flood.