Why English loves animals, from the bee’s knees to herding cats, with Jeremy Butterfield

1237. This week, we talk to Jeremy Butterfield, former editor in chief at Collins Dictionaries and author of “The Metaphor Zoo,” about why English loves animals. We look at how conceptual metaphors like “human is animal” shape what we say, why “the bee’s knees” had so many ridiculous cousins in the 1920s, and how “herding cats” is much newer than you’d expect. Then we look at the Order of the Pug, how Hush Puppies got their name, and the animal eggcorns that sneak into idioms.

Find Jeremy at jeremybutterfield.com.

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