Lawtalk.

Lawtalk

By James E. Clapp, Elizabeth G.

Thornburg, Marc Galanter, and Fred R. Shapiro

The work of a legal lexicographer, two law professors, and a law librarian, Lawtalk explores the origins and uses of popular law-related expressions. While maintaining a rigorous standard of research, Lawtalk is also peppered with jokes, tales of etymological red herrings, and witty asides.

Everyday language is filled with law-related words and phrases, and their modern-day legal, social, and political associations emerged from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Each expression included in the book is explored in a separate entry focusing on the most interesting...