Tic-Tac, Teddy Bears and Teardrop Tattoos

There is a world shrouded in secrecy that exists beyond the realms of conventional understanding. A world of coded languages, unsubstantiated rumour, incomprehensible handshakes, hidden meanings and red herrings that reveals itself only to the initiated, to the insiders, and for most of us remains tantalisingly out of reach. As you read this, it surrounds you, as you look up, it confronts you, as you wonder how you've missed it, you will continue to... But no longer. Tic-Tac, Teddy Bears and Teardrop Tattoos hands us the keys to understanding even the darkest corner of those closed-off, clandestine worlds. Here, you will learn how to go undetected within a Masonic lodge, why many Italians have an irrational fear of the number 17, and what a trucker means when he talks about his 'running bobtail burning the hammer lane'. Discover the wonder of the everyday: did you know that the red and white pole outside the barbers refers to the trade's gory history of bloodletting, or that when London Underground staff ask for 'Inspector Sands' over the tannoy, they're actually reporting a fire, or that a pub named the Royal Oak has its origins back in a Civil War battle.