- Dictionary of IDIOMS Flavell
Examining the origins of everyday idioms and expressions, such as "a storm in a teacup" and "flavour of the month", this book explains their meanings and gives examples of their use. Interspersed with the individual entries are mini-essays on recurring themes - familiar phrases with nautical origins, expressions based on the macabre and on the peculiarly British view of foreigners. (Why do we have Dutch uncles and Dutch treats, but take French leave?) For the serious student, there are dates of first use and guidance on correct or current usage, while the browser and lover of words is offered a source of fascination and enjoyment. The authors' previous books include "Current English Usage".
- Dictionary of PROVERBS Flavell
Did you know that if the cap fits refers to the traditional jester's cap with bells on it so anyone wearing such a cap could be expected to do something foolish? Or that the ancient Greeks believed that it was camels rather than elephants that never forgot? The Spanish writer Cervantes defined a proverb as a short sentence drawn from long experience and Linda and Roger Flavell trace the origins of over 400 of these invaluable pieces of wisdom. The entries are interspersed with mini-essays on such diverse subjects as The Proverbial Cynic and When there's a R in the Month. The result is essential reading for anyone who delights in words.
- Dictionary of ENGLISH Down the Ages Flavell
Throughout history, events great and small have left their mark on the way we speak. Columbus' discovery of America introduced to Europe new foodstuffs such as chilli and chocolate and the words that described them. The Normans gave us the feudal system and curfews, while the flourishing of Dutch art in the seventeenth century introduced easels, etchings and landscapes. Before the 1970s green was a colour with connotations of naiveté rather than ecology and until 1990 webs were mostly attached to spiders. Starting from 1066 and working through to the modern day boom in techno-speak, Dictionary of English Down the Ages links hundreds of words with the historical upheavals and minor social changes which gave them life.
- Dictionary of Word Origins Flavell
Aimed at both word-puzzle enthusiasts and language students, this is a companion to "Dictionary of Idioms" and "Dictionary of Proverbs", and is by the same authors. It contains over 500 entries on common words ("boycott", "tawdry", "candidate"), their origins and their histories, and many other words are detailed in cross-references. In some instances the development of the word is illustrated with tree-diagrams showing its progress - for example, from Greek to Latin to Old French to English. The diagrams also highlight those offshoots which developed into other, often seemingly unconnected words. Throughout the book there are mini-essays on general topics, including sources, derivations and common themes such as words for plants, or for cloth.
tags, Oxford Paperback Dictionary & Thesaurus, 9780199558469, Oxford School Dictionary (Oxford Dictionary)