Description

‘Brilliant, revelatory and erudite. Like all the best books it lets you see the familiar world in a new way’ Mark Forsyth, author of The Etymologicon

‘Enlightening’ Steven Pinker

Hell is other people. You are what you eat. Ignorance is bliss. Or is it?

Meet Phrased & Confused, a guide to the great quotations that we just keep getting wrong. From ancient maxims like ‘seize the day’ to modern classics like ‘the road less travelled’, Phrased & Confused sets the record straight on commonly misunderstood sayings – and reveals the meanings of famously difficult ones, from ‘I think therefore I am’ to ‘a rose is a rose is a rose’.

Pairing witty commentary with light-hearted illustration from Liana Finck, this is the ideal resource for lovers of language, literature, history and philosophy, full of intelligence and insight for curious minds everywhere.

Publisher Review

Brilliant, revelatory and erudite. Like all the best books it lets you see the familiar world in a new way — Mark Forsyth, author of THE ETYMOLOGICON An enjoyable corrective to the cliched interpretation of cliches, enlightening because Burnstein does not just debunk but explains their contexts and nuances of interpretation — Steven Pinker A superbly acute and enjoyable cracking of important nutshells — Anthony Gottlieb, author of LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN This book is more than a delightful romp; it’s a liberal education. I devoured it voraciously . . . Burnstein makes big ideas swing on the page — Jim Holt, author of WHY DOES THE WORLD EXIST? An irresistible celebration of language, insight, and the pleasure of finally understanding what we thought we already knew — Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of THE MATTERING INSTINCT Smart, witty, and charmingly illustrated . . . a treat for anyone curious about why we say the things we do — Martha Barnette, co-host of A Way with Words Erudite fun for the curious and the literate . . . A book to share and graze on — William Deresiewicz, author of EXCELLENT SHEEP