Did you know that "taken aback" was adopted from nautical terminology? Or that "having an axe to grind" originated in a story told by Benjamin Franklin? These and many other idioms are explained and put into context in the delightful third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. In this book, John Ayto offers a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that make English the rich language that it is. The third edition contains entries for over 6,000 idioms, including 700 entirely new entries, based on ...
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Did you know that "taken aback" was adopted from nautical terminology? Or that "having an axe to grind" originated in a story told by Benjamin Franklin? These and many other idioms are explained and put into context in the delightful third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. In this book, John Ayto offers a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that make English the rich language that it is. The third edition contains entries for over 6,000 idioms, including 700 entirely new entries, based on Oxford's language monitoring and the ongoing third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary . These include a range of recently established idioms such as "the elephant in the corner," "go figure," "step up to the plate," "a walk in the park," and "win ugly." Some entries simply define the expression and offer examples from literature or journalism, but other entries include notes on the origin of the phrase. Thus we learn that "there's no accounting for tastes" is a direct translation of a Latin saying, that "amok" (in the expression "run amok") comes from the Malay word amuk , meaning "in a homicidal frenzy," and that "damn with faint praise" comes from Alexander Pope's poem "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot." The book also lists national variants, so that we learn that while in America they say "all over the map," in Britain they say "all over the shop." This edition also features a greatly increased number of cross-references, making it ideal for quick reference. Anyone interested in the colorful side of the English language will get hours of fun browsing through this fascinating and informative volume.
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Add this copy of From the Horse's Mouth: Oxford Dictionary of English to cart. $7.08, good condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Oxford University Press.
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Good. Minimal signs of wear. Corners and cover may show wear. May contain highlighting and or writing. May be missing dust jacket. May not include supplemental materials. May be a former library book.
Add this copy of From the Horse's Mouth: Oxford Dictionary of English to cart. $7.85, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Very Good. Size: 7x5x1; Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Shelf wear. Light foxing to top edge. Small pencil mark on bottom edge. Clean, unmarked pages.
Add this copy of From the Horse's Mouth: Oxford Dictionary of English to cart. $14.00, very good condition, Sold by Voyageur Book Shop rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Oxford University Press.
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