Why are jokes funny? Why do we laugh? In Funny Peculiar, Mikita Brottman demurs from recent scholarship that takes laughter-- and the broader domain of humor and the comical--as a liberating social force and an endearing aspect of self-expression. For Brottman, there is nothing funny about laughter, which is less connected to mirth and feelings of good will than to a nexus of darker emotions: fear, aggression, shame, anxiety. Brottman rethinks not only the mechanisms of humor but also the relation of humor to the body and the senses. To this end, she provides an engrossing account of the life and work of Gershon Legman, exiled author, publisher, and sexologist, Alfred Kinsey's first bibliographer, and legendary compiler of the dirty joke. Like Freud, Legman was convinced of the impossibility of understanding humor apart from sex, and Brottman shows how his two massive works on the subject, Rationale of the Dirty Joke and No Laughing Matter, provide a framework for understanding the ambivalent and often hostile impulses that underlie the comic impulse in its various guises. In lively and enlivening chapters, she traverses dirty jokes, the figure of the "evil clown" in popular culture, the current popularity of "humor therapy," changing fashions in stand-up comedy, and the connection between humor and horror. Brottman's sparkling prose, laced with wit, does not obscure the seriousness of Funny Peculiar. It is a thoughtful and wide-ranging elaboration of the Freudian claim that joking, in point of fact, is no laughing matter.

A catch phrase is a well-known, frequently-used phrase or saying that has `caught on' or become popular over along period of time. It is often witty or philosophical and this Dictionary gathers together over 7,000 such phrases.

The Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year. 80 of the funniest stories ever written, selected and introduced by Paul Merton. From Anton Chekhov to Ali Smith, from P.G. Wodehouse to Nora Ephron, the greatest writers are those who know how to laugh. Here, award-winning comedian and broadcaster Paul Merton brings together his favourite funny stories of all time. Whether it's the silly, surreal, slap-stick or satirical that makes you smile, there's a story here to tickle every funny bone. From prize-winners and literary giants, to stand-up comedians and the rising stars of funny literature, this brilliant anthology is guaranteed to cheer your day.

This collection will appeal to everyone who has ever wondered about the origin of phrases like "all part of life's rich pattern" and "long time no see". It covers a wide range of catch phrases in current use in all parts of the English-speaking world. Most entries are drawn from the second edition of Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Catch Phrases (second edition, edited by Paul Beale), but have been completely rewritten in the light of recent research, and there are many additions. Catch Phrases include: close your eyes and think of England! have I got news for you! ... refreshes the parts that other ... cannot reach some mothers do'ave'em! you are awful, but I like you.

Peering into the often unnoticed corners of life, Kevin Brockmeier has been consistently praised for the originality of his vision, the boundlessness of his imagination and the command of his craft. Once again, in this new collection of fiction, Brockmeier shows us a fantastical world that is intimately familiar but somehow distant and beautiful. From the touching title story, where a young, antisocial woman imagines her escape into the sky with an apparition only she can see, to the haunting story of a pastor tempted by something less than divine, Brockmeier moves effortlessly from the extraordinary to the everyday, while challenging us to see the world anew. Stunning, elegant, profound, and playful, The View from the Seventh Layer cements Kevin Brockmeier's place as one of the most creative and compassionate writers of his generation.

From Fleet Street to the world of medicine, from the City of London to the corridors of power in Whitehall, Scots have exerted a determining influence on key areas of British life since the Union of the Parliaments in 1707. Now that Scots dominate Westminster and run their own parliament in Edinburgh, is the tartan takeover complete? Through revealing interviews with some of the most successful Scots in London, including Kirsty Wark, Sheena Macdonald, Tam Dalyell, Norman Lamont and William Dalrymple, On the Make shows how citizens of the poorest part of the United Kingdom have gained unprecedented influence over British politics, the media and commerce. But success has not always led to popularity. While ambitious Celts have always encountered resentment from the English, Scots at home also often view their successful brothers and sisters down south as selfish careerists who have abandoned their country for the lure of English gold. With English commentators beginning to question the power of the Scots as never before, this hard-hitting book takes a challenging look at exactly how much power lies in Scottish hands in today's devolved United Kingdom.

Guardian angel and sleuth Augusta Goodnight, joined by a bumbling new apprentice, investigates the mysterious death of a housekeeper at a North Carolina estate in the fourth cozy in this series.