Who first wrote '¬Üabsence makes the heart grow fonder'¬", '¬Üaccidentally on purpose'¬" or '¬Üno pain, no gain?'Did you know that there is no evidence Queen Victoria said '¬ÜWe are not amused'¬" or Marie Antoinette proclaimed '¬ÜLet them eat cake'¬", but '¬Üiron curtain'¬" was in use for 40 years before Winston Churchill said it, and we have P. G. Wodehouse to thank for '¬Üstraight from the horse'¬"s mouth'¬"?This witty and accessible compendium reveals the obscure origins of over 500 common phrases, dispelling myths and offering plenty of fascinating facts to delight the trivia-holic in all of us.