Catholic Trivia

Book excerpt: Illustrated throughout by the well-known Catholic artist and cartoonist John Ryan (inventor of Captain Pugwash), Catholic Trivia sets itself to reclaim the hidden history of Catholicism in Britain. Many common words and expressions, place names, pub signs, diseases and customs betray the deep influence of the Catholic Church on our national consciousness, despite every attempt to root it out. Not without a gleam in the eye, Mark Elvins reveals the origins of saluting the quarter deck and kissing the papal toe, of Charing Cross and Covent Garden, of kicking the bucket and going on the dole. From the sublime to the ridiculous, he collects a treasury of information with a multitude of uses, for the conversationalist or the student of history, for the devout, the undevout or the quiz-show host. There is a joy about being a Catholic - and this informative book is a joyful and fascinating celebration of the sayings and quirks derived from the Faith.