Common Phrases

This book is as good as gold for booksellers; I kid you...

In day-to-day speech we use words and phrases without a passing thought as to why we use them or where they come from. Max Cryer changes all that by showing how fascinating the English language really is. Did you know that the former host of Today, Jane Pauley, claims to have coined the term “bad hair day,” or that a CBS engineer named Charley Douglass invented the name and use of “canned laughter” for television, or that “cold turkey” as a term for quitting something immediately was popularized by the novel and movie (starring Frank Sinatra), The Man with the Golden Arm? Here you’ll learn the origins of “credibility gap,” “my lips are sealed,” “the opera’s not over until the fat lady sings,” “supermarket,” “supermodel,” “there’s no accounting for taste,” “thick as thieves,” and hundreds more. For anyone who loves language, this new book will “take the cake.”

Easy French Phrase Book is an excellent resource for both serious French language learners or for the casual traveler who's planning a visit to France. The book comes packed with 1500 commonly used phrases in French, English and a pronunciation guide to make sure you say the phrases correctly.

Here's something new and exciting from NTC, the leading publisher of books for students of English as a second language. Electronic dictionaries on CD-ROM make it easy to look up a word or phrase instantly and have access to thousands of typical American English example sentences. The student can store selected entries in his or her personal electronic notebook. Conduct faster, easier research with eDictionaries on CD-ROM -- Open and search any number of dictionaries at once -- Internet link provides updates and additional entries -- Free on-line site for purchasing additional reference materials -- Each eDictionary also includes two bonus dictionaries: NTC's Dictionary of Acronyms and Abbreviations and NTC's Dictionary of Proverbs and Cliches

A useful guide to everyday American English to help you understand meanings and avoid difficulty in translation In this new edition of Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts, noted lexicographer Richard A. Spears shares with you 1,900 of the most common phrases and colloquial expressions used in contemporary American English. Here you will discover the greetings, good-byes, and everyday small talk that Americans use daily. All entries have been selected with the special needs of you, the nonnative speaker of English, in mind! Inside you'll find: Examples or short dialogues with each entry that illustrate how the phrase is used in everyday speaking Usage restrictions or warnings for those situations when a phrase may be inappropriate Shortened or abbreviated expressions cross-referenced to their complete forms A Phrase-Finder Index to help quick and easy reference