Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches: Meanings and Origins of More than 3,500 Terms and Expressions FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Facts On File Dictionary of Clich�s explains the meanings and origins of more than 3,000 clich�s and common expressions. draws from a wide variety of sources, including the Bible, Shakespeare, and other works of literature. Drawing from a wide variety of sources this book details the meaning of the clich� or expression, its source, early uses, and the history of the phrase over time and its level of use in contemporary English is also noted.
SYNOPSIS
It is not Ammer's purpose to convince readers never to use any of the some 3,500 commonly used verbal formulas she cites, but she would like them to have some idea of where they came from, what they originally applied to, and how long they have been around. She even lists some of the theories behind The Whole Nine Yards. She has produced over two dozen popular references to various subjects.
Annotation © Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Lexicographer Ammer (American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms) here offers a revised edition of her Have a Nice Day No Problem: A Dictionary of Cliches (LJ 1/92). The update, which includes about 500 more entries, offers the meanings and origins of some 3500 expressions along with sources, histories of usage over time, and levels of use today. The volume includes such recent additions as "get a life," "been there, done that," and "push the envelope" as well as old favorites like the recently resurrected "united we stand," which the author traces back to Chaucer. The index is helpful in locating entries for expressions subsumed under similar sayings, and cross references are found in the text as well. While several resources on cliches are currently available (e.g., Nigel Rees's Cassell's Dictionary of Cliches, LJ 5/15/97), this one stands apart for the large number of citations. Given the speed with which language develops, newer publications of this sort are always welcome. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Denise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., Vernon, CT Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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