So to Speak: 11,000 Expressions That'll Knock Your Socks Off

By Shirley Kobliner and Harold Kobliner

Engage with everyday expressions in a completely different (and fun!) way, with this entertaining and interactive book of common phrases that can turn a humdrum gathering into a raucous game night.

We use expressions and idioms all the time. When you feel sick, you’re “under the weather.” When you feel great, you’re “on top of the world.” But whether you’re a “smart cookie” or a tough one, you—and almost everyone you know—have a veritable smorgasbord of expressions stored deep in your brain.

So to Speak: 11,000 Expressions That’ll Knock Your Socks Off is the largest collection of its kind. Thoughtfully divided into sixty-seven categories—from Animals to Food & Cooking, from Love to Politics, this reference guide may have more in common with an activity book!

Don’t look for definitions and etymologies, because the book is just the beginning. So to Speak is the launchpad for your lifelong journey to explore the universe of expressions. In fact, it’s designed to get readers off the page—and engaging with each other through word games and puzzles. So to Speak spurs discussion, debate, and play, while encouraging the art of listening and celebrating the joy of words.

Authors Shirley and Harold Kobliner spent more than half a century nurturing and teaching children. So to Speak is a reflection of their deeply held belief that regardless of a person’s age, the most impactful learning happens when you’re having fun.

Whether it’s grandparents teaching their favorite expressions to their grandkids, teens helping adults with the latest lingo or slang, or millennials indulging in their love of wordplay and games, this is the perfect book for any lover of language.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982163778

Shirley Kobliner

Shirley Kobliner received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Queens College, and was a chemistry teacher in a number of New York City high schools. She was a fierce advocate for students with disabilities, and was one of the earliest supporters and participants of the Association of Neurologically Impaired Brain Injured Children. Harold and Shirley raised three kids who have given them six wonderful, expressions-obsessed grandchildren.

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