The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms: American English Idiomatic Expressions & Phrases

Front Cover
HMH, May 7, 2013 - Reference - 512 pages

From “all systems go” to “senior moment”—a comprehensive reference to idiomatic English.
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms explores the meanings and origins of idioms that may not make literal sense but play an important role in the language—including phrasal verbs such as kick back, proverbs such as too many cooks spoil the broth, interjections such as tough beans, and figures of speech such as elephant in the room.
 
With extensive revisions that reflect new historical scholarship and changes in the English language, this second edition defines over 10,000 idiomatic expressions in greater detail than any other dictionary available today—a remarkable reference for those studying the English language, or anyone who enjoys learning its many wonderful quirks and expressions.
 
“Invaluable as a teaching tool.” —School Library Journal

Selected pages

Contents

A
1
B
24
C
68
D
106
E
127
F
136
G
161
H
193
O
314
P
341
Q
369
R
370
S
386
T
438
U
478
V
483

I
220
J
244
K
248
L
257
M
281
N
301
W
484
XYZ
504
Back Cover
507
Spine
508
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2013)

Christine Ammer is the author of more than three dozen reference books, on subjects ranging from classical music to women's health. Her books on words and phrases include Facts on File Dictionary of Clichés; Seeing Red or Tickled Pink; Fighting Words from War, Rebellion, and Other Combative Capers; Southpaws and Sunday Punches; Cool Cats and Top Dogs; andFruitcakes and Couch Potatoes. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.

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