The American Heritage dictionary of idioms /

Idioms are phrases of two or more words with a meaning different from the literal meaning. Eat one's heart out has nothing to do with eating. Idioms provide amusement in translation and grief to learners of English and are so deeply a part of our language that native speakers are often unaware they are using them. This book surveys 10,000 American English expressions. Idioms predominate, but common figures of speech (e.g., blind as a bat), interjections, proverbs, colloquialisms (out in left field), emphatic redundancies whose word order cannot be reversed (far and wide), and slang phrases are also included. Entries and their variants are listed alphabetically in boldface. Where a phrase has more than one meaning, definitions are numbered and ordered by frequency of use. Keywords to phrases are listed alphabetically among the entries and note all the entries that contain that keyword. Entries are labeled to indicate the degree of formality or offensiveness: colloquial, slang, and vulgar slang. Dates for first use (often approximate) appear in brackets. Obsolete terms are in italics. Almost all entries indicate something of the idiom's history. Each entry includes at least one sample sentence. See and see also references also help searchers, who with this easy-to-use reference should be able to locate any idiomatic phrase. This volume includes some relatively current phrases, such as crash and burn, originating in the 1980s. Though not as scholarly as some other dictionaries, such as Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang (v.1, 1994; v.2, 1997), which includes many of the same expressions, The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms is a good choice for libraries needing an accessible, authoritative source. (Reviewed December 15, 1997)

Gr 7 Up‘This excellent survey of almost 10,000 contemporary idioms has a clear format and large type, which should make it particularly appealing to young readers and non-native speakers. In addition to idioms, the dictionary includes common figures of speech, formula phrases such as "take care," emphatic redundancies whose word order cannot be reversed such as "cease and desist," common proverbs, colloquialisms, and slang phrases. Each expression is defined briefly and then illustrated by a short, simple sentence showing how it is used in context. Information regarding the expression's origin or background is given, along with its date of first appearance, if known. Although more detailed discussions of some words might be found in other classic works, the emphasis here is on understanding contemporary American usage. This resource is invaluable as a teaching tool.‘Mary H. Cole, Polytechnic Preparatory Country Day School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.