Watch Your Tongue is one of those books I really struggle to rate. I wanted to read this book based on its blurb which states: "Whimsically illustrated, easily browsable, and full of catchy sidebars, Watch Your Tongue celebrates how we amuse ourselves with words and what our sayings reveal about the way we see the world."

As someone whose job requires being able to explain the proper way to use idioms and, in some cases, what those idioms mean, I thought this would be a great resource for me! I had expected an almost dictionary-style book where various idioms would be listed and explained.

Instead, this is written in a way that loosely groups various expressions into chapters discussing how some idioms came to be. Although some of the material is interesting to read, much of it won't come as a surprise to native English speakers, and some of it is written using a rather advanced style, so it will be out of reach for many younger readers.

Unfortunately, I think that for all but the most advanced non-native English speakers, this book would be nearly completely inaccessible since some of the idioms aren't even explained, it's just expected the reader will be familiar with their meanings. In addition, as the book lacks an index of any sort, and the chapter headings aren't all that intuitive, it's nearly impossible to go back to find a specific idiom if you *do* want to refresh yourself on its meaning.

In the end, this book isn't what I hoped it would be and I'm not really sure who the target audience would be. Most people I know who would appreciate this discussion aren't going to learn much from the book, but the writing is too advanced to teach those who would like to learn more. I'll give this 2.5 stars rounded up, but with extreme reservation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a DRC of this book.

This is a cute, yet informative book that will entertain all ages: from teens to adults. The writing style is fun and playful, yet draws in sophisticated sources and their use of idioms, and usually how they used them incorrectly. It is fun to learn the origins of idioms we have used our whole lives but never given a second thought to. I really appreciate that the cultural source of idioms was discussed and sayings from around the world were covered. This is a great book for college and university students, particularly those studying literature!

This is a book on idioms, both their usage and their origins. I found the book interesting when the author talked about the origins of the various idioms, but too much of the time it was just a review of the idioms that English speakers are already familiar with. I do think it might be a valuable read for those who are learning English and are trying to get to the next level.

Mark Abley knows the English language so well! In his latest book, Watch Your Tongue: What Our Everyday Sayings and Idioms Figuratively Mean, Abley moves flawlessly from simile to metaphor and explains clearly how these, sometimes hilarious but always recognizable, idioms originated. His research goes as far back as the Bible and the ancient Romans. This reviewer was amazed at how much impact Shakespeare has had on our use of everyday sayings. But don't think that Abley is stuck in a dusty library somewhere, his knowledge base is completely up-to-date and includes the effects both Trudeau and Trump have had on our language.

If you were ever in doubt that the English language is constantly changing and evolving this book will change your mind!

I received a free copy of this ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.