Lawtalk : the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions / James E. Clapp ... [and others].

Title :

Lawtalk : the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions

Format:

Books

Summary:

"Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance: boilerplate, jailbait, pound of flesh, rainmaker, the third degree. This insightful and entertaining book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Separate entries for each expression follow no prescribed formula but instead focus on the most interesting, enlightening, and surprising aspects of the words and their evolution. Popular myths and misunderstandings are explored and exploded, and the entries are augmented with historical images and humorous sidebars. Lively and unexpected, Lawtalk will draw a diverse array of readers with its abundance of linguistic, legal, historical, and cultural information. Those readers should be forewarned: upon finishing one entry, there is an irresistible temptation to turn to another, and yet another ."--

"A lively look at the history and meanings of today's legal expressions" --

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

030017246X

9780300172461

Physical Description:

xvii, 348 pages : illustrations, map ; 25 cm.

Subject:

Law -- United States -- Dictionaries.

LAW / Dictionaries & Terminology.

REFERENCE / Dictionaries.

REFERENCE / Quotations.

Series:

Yale Law Library series in legal history and reference.

First Title value, for Searching:

Lawtalk : the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions / James E. Clapp ... [and others].

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Library	Audience	Home Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
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Summary

Not just for lawyers, these illuminating histories of popular law-related expressions will delight anyone fascinated by words, by history, or by law and law enforcement

Law-related words and phrases abound in our everyday language, often without our being aware of their origins or their particular legal significance: boilerplate , jailbait , pound of flesh , rainmaker , the third degree . This insightful and entertaining book reveals the unknown stories behind familiar legal expressions that come from sources as diverse as Shakespeare, vaudeville, and Dr. Seuss. Separate entries for each expression follow no prescribed formula but instead focus on the most interesting, enlightening, and surprising aspects of the words and their evolution. Popular myths and misunderstandings are explored and exploded, and the entries are augmented with historical images and humorous sidebars.

Lively and unexpected, Lawtalk will draw a diverse array of readers with its abundance of linguistic, legal, historical, and cultural information. Those readers should be forewarned: upon finishing one entry, there is an irresistible temptation to turn to another, and yet another . . .

Author Notes

James E. Clapp , a member of the New York and District of Columbia bars and a former litigator, works primarily in the field of legal lexicography. He is the author of Random House Webster's Dictionary of the Law . Elizabeth G. Thornburg is a professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, where she teaches and writes about civil procedure and alternative dispute resolution. Marc Galanter is John & Rylla Bosshard Professor Emeritus of Law and South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the author of Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture . Fred R. Shapiro is associate librarian and lecturer in legal research, Yale Law School. He is the editor of The Yale Book of Quotations , available from Yale University Press, and a major contributor to both the second and the third editions of the Oxford English Dictionary .

Reviews (2)

Choice Review

This volume by legal lexicographer Clapp et al. features 77 legal terms and phrases. The stories presented reveal interesting facts about the history, development, and use of these terms and phrases. Some, such as "CSI effect," from the popular television shows of that name, are of recent origin, whereas others, such as "cut the baby in half" and "corpus delicti" are much older. Each well-written entry is easy to read and entertaining. Entries range from one to six pages, with most being three or four pages long. One-page entries, like the one for "jailbait," are rare. Some of the stories, such as the one behind "kangaroo court," illustrate American culture at the time the particular phrase entered mainstream American language usage. Others, such as the one for "one-bite rule," show changes in usage and meaning as they are applied today. Some entries, e.g., "corpus delicti," explain both how the term is popularly interpreted and what it means legally. This volume would be ideal for any collection focused on the origin and meaning of words and phrases. Mystery writers and readers would enjoy this book. Summing Up: Recommended All libraries; all levels. L. Hickey Austin College

Library Journal Review

These ancient and more recent terms have sometimes originated in law and expanded into nonlegal use, while others are regular words that have acquired a special meaning in legal contexts. Two law professors, a law librarian, and a legal lexicographer have here combined talents to help us make sense of terms such as abuse excuse, billable hour, and whole truth. For each of 77 terms they trace its history and recent usage. While readers might know that the term eye for an eye comes from the Code of Hammurabi in the 18th century B.C.E., for example, they probably don't know that paper chase began as a 19th-century English game of "hare and hounds." (LJ 10/15/11) (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.