Kipfer Barbara Ann. Phraseology: Thousands of Bizarre Origins, Unexpected Connections, and Fascinating Facts about English's Best Expressions

Sourcebooks, 2008. – 300 p.
The Amazing Secrets of the Phrases We Use Everyday
Phraseology is the ultimate collection of everything you never knew about the wonderful phrases found in the English language. It contains information about phrase history and etymology; unusual, lost, or uncommon phrases; how phrases are formed; and more than 7,000 facts about common English phrases.
Practical enough to be used as a reference book but so fun that every book lover will want to read it straight through, Phraseology contains such engrossing tidbits as:
Across the board is an allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race
Artesian well gets its name from Artois, where such wells were first made
Best man originated in Scotland, where the groom kidnapped his bride with the aid of friends, including the toughest and bravest - the best man.