Illustrated throughout by the well-known Catholicartist and cartoonist John Ryan (inventor of CaptainPugwash), Catholic Trivia sets itself to reclaimthe hidden history of Catholicism in Britain. Manycommon words and expressions, place names, pubsigns, diseases and customs betray the deep influenceof the Catholic Church on our national consciousness, despite every attempt to root it out.

Not without agleam in the eye, Mark Elvins reveals the origins ofsaluting the quarter deck and kissing the papal toe, of Charing Cross and Covent Garden, of kicking thebucket and going on the dole. From the sublime tothe ridiculous, he collects a treasury of informationwith a multitude of uses, for the conversationalist or thestudent of history, for the devout, the undevoutor the quiz-show host.There is a joy about being a Catholic - and this informativebook is a joyful and fascinating celebration of the sayingsand quirks derived from the Faith.