Author: Michael K. Smith
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 1481737635
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 279
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Book Description
What is the origin of the idiom playing fast and loose? a juggling trick using ropes performed in Roman times a Medieval cheating game involving sticks and belts the sordid sale of indulgences in the Catholic Church Playing Fast and Loose invites the reader to guess the correct origin of common idioms. For each of the fifty idioms, three scenarios have been constructed. One scenario contains a short description of the likely origin of the phrase with some selected historical context that illustrates its usage. The other two scenarios also present short vignettes with factually correct historical citations; however, these two descriptions are not considered the likely origin of the phrase. Dr. Smith has researched all the idioms in this book with the Google Books search engine. He read dozens of entries for each idiom, looking for evidence to support the origin of the idiom and for interesting and credible uses of the phrase to help create the two alternative scenarios. The three scenarios contain references to famous Greek and Latin authors from Homer and Aristotle to Seneca, Vergil, and Ovid; excerpts from English sources such as Shakespeare, Milton, Defoe, Scott, and Conan Doyle; and quotations from American authors as varied as Thoreau, Emerson, Twain, and P. T. Barnum. In addition, the reader will encounter many unusual and perhaps long forgotten historical sources: James Parton, Life of Andrew Jackson (1859); Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy (1747); Elbert Smith, Practical Notes on Photography (1905); Bolton Hall, The Psychology of Sleep (1917); and Friedrich Christian Accum, Chemical Amusement, a Series of Curious and Instructive Experiments in Chemistry Which Are Easily Performed and Unattended by Danger (1817).
Author: Lynn Armstrong Coffin
Publisher: Acd.Incorporated
ISBN: 9780983676003
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 38
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Book Description
Don't be fooled for things are not always what they seem. Thinking the can contained a fellow duck, our misguided friend opens it. It doesn't contain a duck at all but 12 witty Idioms who are glad to be free. Follow along as the true meanings are revealed and see what happens in the end. The whimsical illustrations bring to life the peculiar trickery of an Idiom and engage the reader in finding the narrator hidden on each page.
Author: Paul Heacock
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521532716
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 516
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Book Description
This book unlocks the meaning of more than 5,000 idioms used in American English today.
Author: Christine Ammer
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547677537
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 515
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Book Description
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
Author: John Ayto
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192584383
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 448
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Book Description
What is it to 'cock a snook', where is the land of Nod, and who was first to go the extra mile? Find the answers to these questions (and many more!) in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms. This dictionary uncovers the meanings of myriad phrases and sayings that are used daily in the English language, encompassing more than 10,000 figurative expressions, similes, sayings, and proverbs. More than 400 idioms have been added to this new edition, and comprise recently coined and common sayings alike. New additions include 'back of the net', 'drag and drop', 'go it alone', 'how come?', 'if you ask me', 'make your skin crawl', and 'woe betide'. Illustrative quotations sourced from the Oxford corpora give contextual examples of the idioms and their standard usage, and many entries include background information on the origins of the idiom in question. An updated thematic index makes for easy navigation, and anyone who is interested in the origins and diversity of English vernacular will have hours of fun browsing this fascinating dictionary.
Author: Lynne Murphy
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524704881
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
CHOSEN BY THE ECONOMIST AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR An American linguist teaching in England explores the sibling rivalry between British and American English “English accents are the sexiest.” “Americans have ruined the English language.” Such claims about the English language are often repeated but rarely examined. Professor Lynne Murphy is on the linguistic front line. In The Prodigal Tongue she explores the fiction and reality of the special relationship between British and American English. By examining the causes and symptoms of American Verbal Inferiority Complex and its flipside, British Verbal Superiority Complex, Murphy unravels the prejudices, stereotypes and insecurities that shape our attitudes to our own language. With great humo(u)r and new insights, Lynne Murphy looks at the social, political and linguistic forces that have driven American and British English in different directions: how Americans got from centre to center, why British accents are growing away from American ones, and what different things we mean when we say estate, frown, or middle class. Is anyone winning this war of the words? Will Yanks and Brits ever really understand each other?
Author: David Copper
Publisher: Lotus Press
ISBN: 9788189093907
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204
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Book Description
Author: Linda Flavell
Publisher: Kyle Books
ISBN: 9780857834010
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
p.The English language contains a great store of idioms that can be used in creative and forceful ways. Dictionary of Idioms examines over 400 such phrases, tracing each one's source and history through a rich supply of examples. New entries in the revised edition include 'play fast and loose' (from a 16th-century fairground game), 'head over heels' (a totally illogical variation on the more sensible 'heels over head') and 'knee-high to a grasshopper' (which won out over knee-high to a mosquito and knee-high to a toad). Mini-essays scattered through the book expand on such broader themes as What is an idiom? National Rivalries and The Old Curiosity Shop of Linguistics. Linda and Roger Flavell combine scholarly accuracy with an unfailing understanding of the snippets of information that intrigue the browser.
Author: EDITORIAL BOARD
Publisher: V&S Publishers
ISBN: 9350574128
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 239
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Book Description
If you believe idioms are a "e;tough nut to crack,"e; this Dictionary of Idioms will help you dispel that belief; you would surely abandon your opinion of idioms being a bunch of insignificant words to that of a lively one to use to attract attention of readers and listeners. You will discover 'idioms' can add beauty, remove unwanted seriousness and bring life to any conversation - written or spoken. Rightly and scientifically designed, this dictionary contains hundreds of common idioms, sayings, and expressions. Use of everyday idioms bring colour to any writing and speech. Since they don't really mean, word by word, what they say, idioms can stump even regular writers and speakers. When and where to uidioms becomes 'as easy as pie' with this Dictionary of Idioms. Alphabetical listing makes searching idioms a 'piece of cake.'Whether you are fluent in English or just a learner, this dictionary can help you read, write and speak with new understanding and a lot more fun!Special features:o Widely used and popular idioms given with meaningso Inclusion of foreign idioms currently in use in English languageo Arranged Alphabetically: A - Zo Useful grammatical information given as AppendicesAn authoritative dictionary to spice up written and oral communication for students, writers, speakers and interested readers!
Author: Matthew Evanoff
Publisher: Matthew Evanoff
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 341
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Book Description
Learning English idioms can be difficult for ESL speakers. This book will help simplify some of the common words and expressions native English speakers use. Use it as a reference, or read it as a learning exercise, and you will improve your English in no time at all!
