Did you know they started 'hearing through the grapevine' during the American Civil War, that 'ghettos' originated in Venice or that 'deadline' has a very sinister origin? Jam-packed with many amazing facts, Fighting Talk is a fascinating trip through the words and phrases that came to us from the military but nowadays are used by soldier and civilian alike. The sources of many are surprising and their original use is often far removed from that of today.

From 'duds' to 'freelancers' and 'morris dancing' to 'bikini' this enthralling book describes the military origins of words and phrases that we use on a daily basis.