Spill the Beans: 100 Silly Sayings and Peculiar Phrases by Julia Murray

Recently I have started paying a little more attention to the nonfiction section of bookstores especially the kids nonfiction. Last week I spied this book in The Constant Reader. It links so well with a topic a friend and I were discussing recently about common sayings and how to explain or even introduce them to children. For example I used the phrase 'get the sack' and the Grade Two kids had never heard this term. Then, we were chatting after school with a grandfather and he explained more about how this saying came about. I don't think this one is in this book but there are a hundred others to talk about. This book was published in 2024 - I did see it in the bookshop but hopefully it is also available in your school or local library. 

Bookseller blurb: Discover 100 silly sayings and peculiar phrases in this illustrated book for curious kids!

• What does it mean to spill the beans?

• Why does it rain cats and dogs?

• Who is the early bird and why do they catch the worm?

Discover 100 silly sayings and peculiar phrases from the English language, with lots of playful pictures bringing them to life. Beautifully illustrated by Julia Murray, it explains what the sayings mean and explores the strange stories behind them, making this the perfect gift for kids who always want to know 'why?'.

Here is some art from this book - see if you can work out the relevant saying. 

Julia Murray is an illustrator and typographer living in Aotearoa, New Zealand. She won a colouring competition at age 8 and hasn’t looked back – applying her work to everything from book covers to puzzles. She is inspired by film posters, nature, everyday characters and an ever-growing collection of children’s books. You can follow her on Instagram @jumurrayillustration

Now to go back to the expression "get the sack":

Before the Industrial Revolution – when men, women and even children flocked to the factories to make a living – it was far more common for workers to travel from job to job. Rather than joining a team, tradesmen, craftsmen and labourers would move around on their own, carrying their own tools and supplies, and find work where they could get it. The easiest way to lug their tools around was in a sack, which they would then leave with their employer for safe keeping. The origin of the phrase, therefore, starts to become clear. With no job security, contracts or trade unions, workers could be discharged at a moment’s notice. Once their services were no longer required, they were literally given their sack, before being ordered to pack it up and leave.  Source: History Extra

Another expression you won't find in this book that I think about is one my parents used to say: "What you lose on the hurdy-gurdy you pick up on the roundabout" but I have no idea what this means. And my class teacher in Grade 3 used to say "Silence is golden". 

Here are a few peculiar phrases or idioms you could share with your class:

“First come, first served”; “Count your chickens before they hatch”; “Hold your horses”; “Like a bull in a china shop”; “Cry over spilled milk”; “Cost an arm and a leg”; “Spill the beans”; “Couch potato”; or “The icing on the cake”.

You could also link this with Bluey when Bandit says he "wasn't born yesterday" [Season 3 Episode 5]. 

Julia Murray also illustrated this book (I do like books about words and I love the idea of 365 words so that you can share one each day). I talked about this idea in several previous posts: Big words for little Geniuses by Susan and James Patterson; The weird and wonderful world of words by Charles Hope; and An Interesting Word for Every day of the Year by Dr Meredith L Rowe and Monika Forsberg.