From the same author as Lost in Translation and done in the same format, this is a lovely collection of idioms from around the world, each one illustrated, with an explanation of the idiom's meaning.

Some translate pretty straight-forwardly, like the Portuguese To feed a donkey sponge cake, or my personal favourite (one I use but didn't know the origins of), the Polish not my circus, not my monkeys. Some require a bit more explanation, like the Persian/Farsi I will eat your liver, which actually is used as a term of endearment and an expression of deep love.

My only complaint is the same one I had with Lost in Translation: the lack of a phonetic guide to pronunciation. It's less important here, as most of these are full phrases, but for languages that don't use the Roman alphabet, either a pronunciation or at least a transliteration would really round out the collection's usefulness. ( )

A very enjoyable book if you like words and languages. 'To pedal in the sauerkraut' is a great example of the colourful expressions - this one from the French - illustrated and described in the book. Another is the 'to have a head full of crickets' translated from the Italian. The richness and fun of languages sine through - it's a bear dances there book. ( )