Oxford Dictionary Of Phrase And Fable

This Dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. What is a ham-and-egger? What are Anglo-Saxon attitudes? Who or what is liable to jump the shark? Who first tried to nail jelly to the wall? The answers to these and many more questions are in this fascinating book. Here in one volume you can track down the stories behind the names and sayings you meet, whether in classic literature or today's news. Drawing on Oxford's unrivalled bank of reference and language online resources, this dictionary covers classical and other mythologies, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science and technology, philosophy, and popular culture. Extensive cross referencing makes it easy to trace specific information, while every page points to further paths to explore. A fascinating slice of cultural history, and a browser's delight from start to finish. What is the fog of war? Who first wanted to spend more time with one's family? When was the Dreamtime? How long since the first cry of Women and children first? Where might you find dark matter? Would you want the Midas touch? Should you worry about grey goo?

'The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' is a major reference work, providing a wealth of fascinating and informative background detail from over 20,000 phrases and allusions used in English today.

Explores the stories behind names and sayings that can be found in classic literature or today's news

'This is, in fact, not what you were looking for; but it's much more interesting.' Terry Pratchett Much loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Nowhere else could the histories of the guillotine and Guinness stout sit so comfortably alongside the KGB and the Keystone Kops. Brewer's is a catalogue of curiosities and absurdities that, over almost 150 years in print, has acquired near-mythical status. Edited by Susie Dent, this new edition includes a brand new Collection of Curious Words and many new and updated entries. Its pages brim with esoteric and entertaining oddities - everything from curious customs to the world of newspapers and political alliances of yesteryear - all seen through the distinctive Brewer lens. This twentieth edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable encapsulates all the charm and wit that characterise its predecessors and maintains the standards of scholarship and eclecticism that have long been its hallmark. Whether you're a committed Brewerphile or a newcomer to its pages of fascinating entries, this edition will draw you in and keep you glued to its rich mix of eccentric nuggets. As Susie Dent explains in the foreword, Brewer's "is unlike any other reference book that exists, anywhere."

This work explains the origins of the familiar and the unfamiliar in everyday speech and literature, including the colloquial and the proverbial. It embraces archaeology, history, religion, the arts, science, mythology and characters from fiction.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable is a new reference work, providing a wealth of fascinating and informative background detail for over 10,000 phrases and allusions used in English today. Drawing from Oxford's unrivalled bank of language and quotation on-line resources, this highly browsable pot pourri of allusive terms includes entries from a broad range of topics, from classical mythology, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science and technology, philosophy,and popular culture. From African Eve to white van man, from Barbie doll and bunny boiler to the big bang theory, the dictionary gives reliable, up-to-date insights into the origin and history of words and phrases, with ample cross-referencing.

Compiles over 10,000 quotations, proverbs, and phrases on over 350 themes, among them actors and acting, bores and boredom, elections, food and drink, kissing, madness, schools, taxes, the weather, and youth. Many are attributed, with reference to particular works, while others merely explain the meaning and sometimes the background. For example, a Carthaginian peace is a peace settlement that imposes very severe terms of the defeated side, and refers to the ultimate destruction of Carthage by Rome in the Punic Wars. A keyword index presents abbreviated versions to facilitate finding a particular, perhaps half remembered, quotation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR