This is a good coffee table or bathroom book. There were some examples in the book I was familiar with but many I wasn't. The preview version lacked visual items like pictures or color art, but I hope the actual version has some pictures or colors to add for interesting features.

This was interesting to read, however, I have never hear of a lot of the idioms before. Also at times I felt the history of the saying was a bit lengthy. I do however feel this is a good book for those that enjoy knowing where a saying comes from and what it really means.

Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics is a fascinating analysis of modern idioms - those short phrases or expressions that find their way into the vernacular - often without users having any idea where they originated. I came across this while browsing on NetGalley and was intrigued by the title and description; I don’t read much non-fiction, but liked the idea of learning more about the quirks of the English language. The author acknowledges that many British English idioms derive from naval terms, Shakespeare or the Bible, but here focuses on newer examples - many of which I have found myself googling in recent years.

Carrol begins by analysing what exactly idioms are - and aren’t - and why they matter. Our assumptions on what that actually mean are often wrong eg “to kick the bucket” and they go in and out of fashion. He then has chapters grouping his examples by their most obvious source, starting with TV; most of the idioms he analyses are from the 20th century, including the titular “Jump the Shark” - which for those who don’t know, started after an episode of Happy Days. The Movies chapter repeats this trend, although does have some more recent selections that I didn’t recognise, perhaps proving his thesis that it takes time before expressions become well known enough to be freely used out of context - like the terms Bunny Boiler or Usual Suspects (I’m old enough to remember both films from first time round!)

The most modern chapter, unsurprisingly, was about the Internet - including where the term “break the internet” came from, followed by a less interesting (to me at least) chapter on sporting idioms - although at least I now know what “squeaky bum time” means. The literature chapter uses all 20th century books - in some ways the only disappointing section for me, as I’m sure he could’ve found more recent examples than Brave New World and Catch-22. Finally there’s a miscellaneous section with examples from politics and pop culture - the one I remember googling most recently was “drop the mic” - I still don’t really get that one - too old probably. At the end is a list of website references for those who want to read more: it certainly is an engrossing subject and I would’ve liked the book to be longer, but will no doubt look into some of the links when I have more time.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable dive into the world of strange sayings and I would recommend it to anyone who loves or wants to learn more about the English language. Thanks to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics is published on February 25th.

This is a fascinating book about idioms, which are such a strange part of any culture. It was definitely a book to take in smaller sections rather than reading all at once, but truly interesting to see the origins of some phrases I knew and others that were less familiar.

*ARC through Netgalley

This was a fun and fascinating read! Common idioms and expressions are traced back to their roots in entertainment, sports, etc. and their cultural impact is explored. This is written for a UK audience, so as a US reader it was doubly interesting to see what expressions are shared and to learn the backstory behind unfamiliar phrases. This would be a fun pick for word nerds and pop culture enthusiasts!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

It's a really interesting read its fun and witty and gives a lot of information to some really common and so not so common idioms and finding out the back story to some of these well-loved sayings was really fascinating. This was a quick, enjoyable, educational read and I even learned some stuff along the way, I would really recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

This book is definitely more focused on idioms that would be familiar to a UK audience. I found it enjoyable, but wish there were more scholarly sources than internet sources, although I recognize the internet at this point is a major source for how people communicate.

Very interesting book that can be read as a whole or dipped into. Charting the origins of modern day idioms and sayings, a lot that are used by the younger generation without them having the slightest clue (or caring) where they came from. And so many of them are used frequently in today’s language. I always love telling people that the phrase “jumping the shark” was coined when the Fonz literally jumped over a shark in one of the weirdest episode of Happy Days. An indispensable guide to current fads in language.

As a reviewer who has taught English idioms to more than a dozen foreign exchange students who have lived in my home for a year, I was drawn to Gareth Carrol’s Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics: Modern Idioms and Where They Come From. A senior lecturer and researcher in linguistics at the University of Birmingham, Carrol includes a few unfamiliar idioms taken from British TV or cricket, but he includes much for readers across the pond.

Beginning with an introductory chapter on the nature of idioms in general, he then classifies idioms according to their sources-- idioms from television, movies, Internet, sports, modern literature, and, finally, “the best of the rest.” Whether explaining his titular idioms or a wide assortment of others such as “sleep with the fishes,” “you’re gonna need a bigger boat,” “first world problems,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “not rocket science,” or “watercooler moment,” Carrol defines the idiomatic meaning, gives examples of its usage, and traces each expression’s origin, frequently going beyond the more obvious origin to suggest other possibilities.
For readers interested in Carrol’s sources, he includes a chapter-by-chapter list.

Whether you are a teacher, word nerd, or history or trivia lover, Gareth Carrol will teach and entertain you. Likely, you will share at least part of what you have learned with family and friends.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Hunt Publishing, UK, for an advance reader copy.

This book was clunky, seemed unedited and difficult to follow the author's point on train of thought.

I love words and phrases and the etymology of it all, so when I saw this book I had to read it. It's full of explanations of the phrases we all use daily, but the origins of which have been mostly forgotten. Where did "jumping the shark" or "breaking the internet" really come from? What about that "sliding doors moment" or a "wardrobe malfunction"?

A lot of these idioms I knew the source of (and am old enough to remember!), but this is a good book to pick up and put down and browse through at leisure. And it may help with trivia nights, too.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher John Hunt Publishing Ltd. for an advanced copy of this new language reference book.

Gareth Carrol's book Jumping sharks and Dropping Mics: Modern idioms and where they come from is a reference guide to the wonderful world of idioms, how to use them, and where they came from. This is an interesting collection for Wordsmiths and grammar groupies of all ages.

Idioms as defined by Merriam-Webster are: an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own. Mr. Carroll has written an interesting well written very thorough guide to modern idioms, in a nice clean and clear style, that except for a few examples that really could have whole books written about, doesn't bore the reader. Examples of idioms are listed, sourced and dated to first occurrence, with changes made as the phrase aged or the world changed. The one draw back is the book is very of the Queen's English with many British examples, some that American readers might not understand nor ever use in anyway, but are nonetheless still worth reading.

A very enjoyable book for burgeoning etymologists or for writers looking for accuracy in their dialogue. Would my character use this phrase 30 years? Would even the source be known to my characters. Also, it is very interesting to learn the origins of common phrases that seem so normal and usual in their use today. A definite book for word nerds.

Who knew that so many terms and phrases from books, film and life in general have slowly bled into common parlance so seamlessly we almost can't remember where they came from!

Linguistics and the way slang and typical phrases change over the years is a fascinating and surprisingly broad subject, Carrol has managed to condense the best and most curious examples into a genuine and entertaining read.

I've had great fun with friends and colleagues, trying to see how many we remember and reminding ourselves where they've come from.

My only complaint is that it's a little short and ends quite abruptly I thought!

A very interesting book exploring some of the well known idioms in our British language, although a few I wasn’t as aware of!
This really is a great book for anyone who has an interest in language and the history and development of such things. Definitely something to get for the ultimate grammatical nerd out!

This review may appear on my blog at a later date in part or full and/or heavily edited.

Just a note to requesters: This in no way affects my review, but this is UK based. Some of the phrases I'd never heard of. So if you're in the US, be prepared for some new idioms!

Also MILD SPOILERS contained.

This was an interesting read. It's thoroughly researched (almost too researched at points), but it was fun seeing where popular phrases rose from especially when the origins were obscure.

Some of them I knew, maybe I'm just too old (late 30s) to appreciate the novelty of some of the more well known ones. (Too old as in "not the target audience")
--I thought most people knew that "sleeps with the fishes" came from The Godfather and that "we're gonna need a bigger boat" came from Jaws and I haven't seen EITHER of these movies!

One thing that surprised me was "it does what it says on the tin". This is apparently a phrase from a UK product commercial. I have grown up saying this phrase, but slightly differently "exactly what it says on the tin". (Usually meaning "it is exactly what it says it is" versus "it does what it says it does". That bastardization wasn't listed in it, but I can't imagine that it came from anywhere else!

I also SWEAR that the phrase "Bucket List" was around before the mid 2000s, because I swear I remember saying it in high school (late 90s/early 00s), but even googling I couldn't find solid evidence that it existed before then. But, that's how it goes some times.

All in all, a fun book. I wanted even more idioms.

An interesting book tracing the origins of many modern slang expressions and how they have become a part of popular culture.Each chapter focuses on a particular subject area. The only flaw is that the chapter on sports is oo UK-focused.

A thoroughly enjoyable book looking at how certain idioms came to be. I also learnt some new ones. The perfect book to either read cover to cover or to dip in and out as and when it takes your fancy.

As a linguistics and popular culture fan this book is right up my alley. I do know where the idiom "jumped the shark" comes from and I understand the idea of dropping a mic but learning the official history of idioms are very interesting to me. This book is a collection of current (though jump the shark is from, what, the 70s?) English idioms and their introduction into society. You can read the entire book to learn more about English idioms and popular culture overall, or you can find your favorites and just read those pages. A very entertaining and enlightening read.

I'm a big word nerd, so I really enjoyed this book. I will say, I would have enjoyed it a bit more had it paired the idioms with humorous illustrations. Since it is a rather lighthearted read, I was surprised that it had so many pages of text with no little pictures to break that up. But overall, I really enjoyed hearing how so many frequently used expressions came to be.

I enjoyed this book. While there were a lot of expressions I hadn't heard before (mostly British), there was enough background provided for me to appreciate them. On the other hand, at times there was too much background. There was also some humor in the book, with the author imbuing a certain lightness and joy to the work. Thank you to Netgalley and John Hunt Publishing Ltd for the advance reader copy.