Chrysti The Wordsmith: Hook, Line & Sinker - 2

Greetings verb of oars and welcome to Christie the wordsmith. Last time on this series we looked at an expression consisting of three short nouns linked by the conjunction and its hook line and sinker. Every American English speaker recognizes this as a verbal formula suggesting gullibility. Someone who believes a fabulous tale is often said to swallow it hook line and sinker like a hungry fish devouring the whole of the anglers tackle another cliche identical in construction is lock stock and barrel. Literally. These words describe the components of a firearm. The law is the firing mechanism. The stock is the handle and the barrel is the tube through which the bullet passes. These three elements are pretty much the sum of the weapon but most of us know this formula in its figurative meaning which is everything. The entirety of or all the parts just like the lock stock and barrel of a gun. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the phrase showed up in

print in 1842 and it's still viable today having most recently appeared in The New York Times in its October 9th 2011 edition. Do you like to study cliches and popular slang terms. I recommend online slang dictionary dot com which focuses on American British and urban slang terms with thousands of citations from popular media sources online slang dictionary dot com. I'm Christie the wordsmith. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.