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'Phrased and Confused' book dives into the origin and meaning of much-used phrases

WBUR
Published October 20, 2026 at 12:09 PM EDT
The cover of "Phrased & Confused" and author Eli Burnstein. (Courtesy of Abrams and Andrew Johnson)
Courtesy of Abrams and Andrew Johnson
The cover of "Phrased & Confused" and author Eli Burnstein. (Courtesy of Abrams and Andrew Johnson)

“Seize the Day”? “Let them eat cake”? Do we know where those phrases came from and what they mean?

Author Eli Burnstein joins host Lisa Mullins to talk about his book, “Phrased & Confused: The Curious Meanings of Timeless Quotations.”

Book excerpt: ‘Phrased & Confused’

By Eli Burnstein

Excerpted from “Phrased & Confused” by Eli Burnstein. Copyright © 2026 by Eli Burnstein. Published and reprinted by permission of Abrams. All rights reserved.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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