The average contemporary English speaker knows 50,000 words. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality much smaller, derived from Latin, French and the Germanic languages. It is estimated that every year, 800 neologisms are added to the English language: acronyms (nimby), blended words (motel), and those taken from foreign languages (savoir-faire). Laid out in an A-Z format with detailed cross references, and written in a style that is both authoritative and accessible, Word Origins is a valuable historical guide to the English language.
Gives a selection of the key words added to the English language in the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first. This work features an introductory essay that identifies the main historical, cultural, and scientific currents, and shows how they contributed new vocabulary to the language.
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.
A dictionary of modern slang draws on the resources of the "Oxford English Dictionary" to cover over five thousand slang words and phrases from throughout the English-speaking world.
Seasoned throughout with literary wit and wisdom, this veritable feast of gastronomic words and phrases traces the origins and history of over 1,200 English terms for foodstuffs, dishes, and drinks. Previously published as The Diner's Dictionary and Gourmet's Guide, this includes hundreds of illuminating quotations, ranging from the French writer, Misson, on seventeenth-century puddings, to Anthony Burgess on eating durians. Tuck into foods and drinks named after their place of origin,such as stilton, cheddar, or Dublin Bay prawns. Get your teeth stuck into such eponymous fruits and vegetables as Cox's Orange Pippin and Webb's Wonder. Or whet your appetite with wines named after their grape, including cabernet sauvignon and riesling. The book also covers the terminology of foreign cuisine that has become popular in Britain, such as Italian ciabatta. This edition also features a new introduction by Alan Davidson, author of theOxford Companion to Food.
The ideal reference for those interested in the more quirky and unofficial words used in English. Each area of life and each aspect of the world that generates slang is explored in turn. Including surprisingly old words such as booze and guzzle as well as the most up-to-date words like humongous and lunchbox, this fascinating book is sure to provide a stonking good read for all.
A lively, authoritative, and up-to-date look at the world of rhyming slang, from its origins in London's 19th-century underworld to the buzzwords of 21st-century popney. Arranged by topic, including Crime, Food and Drink, Illness, Money, Sex, and Sport, this highly readable collection is at once an informative source to the story behind some of our most lively expressions and a browser's delight.
From absinthe to zabaglione, theDiner's Dictionary is a mouth-watering collection of food and drink terms, explaining their meaning and origins. Covering basic ingredients and traditional dishes, as well as exotic delicacies, this book will delight all those who want to discover more about what they eat and drink.
From Angels on Horseback to Zabaglione, this lively and authoritative guide presents the meaning, origin, and development of more than 1,200 food and beverage terms. "Stuffed with delightful morsels in a digestible form".--Independent.
Long established as the ultimate reference for anyone with an interest in the English language, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable features tens of thousands of encyclopedic entries examining the origins and significance of popular words, phrases, allusions and cultural references. Its delightfully diverse content includes cultural, historical and mythological references, beliefs and customs, proper names, literary characters, idioms and slang. First published in 1870 and now in its 17th edition, this ever-popular collection has moved with the times to include such up-to-date material as Beckingham Palace, Hogwarts and bling alongside wonderful stories from past and present.
Uncover the hidden and often surprising connection between words. Written in a clear and informative style, the more than 8,000 articles reveal the origins of and links between some of the most common English-language words. What is the link between map and apron, acrobat and oxygen, zeal and jealousy, flour and pollen, secret and crime? Did you know that crimson originally comes from the name of tiny scale insects, the kermes, from whose dried bodies a red dyestuff is made? That Yankee began as a nickname for Dutchmen? That omelette evolved from amulette, “a thin sheet of metal,” and is a not-too-distant cousin of the word laminate? That jeans find their antecedent in jean fustian, meaning “a cotton fabric from Genoa”? They also contain an extensive selection of words whose life histories are intrinsically fascinating or instructive. This dictionary shows how modern English has developed from its Indo-European roots and how the various influences on the language—from migration and invasion to exploration, trade, technology, and scholarship—have intermingled. It is an invaluable addition to any English or linguistics library.
Here is a unique new reference book which will answer all the questions children may have on problematic words, their meaning, use, spelling, pronunciation, and their grammatical functions. Alphabetically ordered for easy reference, this guide is for children of 11 and over. It gives guidanceon how to speak and write correctly and effectively - a tool everyone needs for life!
We may enjoy freedom of speech, but when dealing with certain subjects - for instance death, poverty, physical appearance - we are rarely free to express ourselves directly. Personal shame, the frailty of those we speak to and society's politically correct standards have all contributed to the ever-growing collection of descriptive, and often hilarious, expressions created to circumnavigate the unmentionable. This is a guide to the use of euphemisms and art of polite conversatiion. Over 3000 euphemisms are presented in contextual essays under such headings as funerals, male genitals, gambling and employment. These essays are supported by an alphabetical index for accessibility and the book is suited for either close reading or reference use. The guide also examines the origins of euphemisms and includes popular and humourous examples including "houses of accomodation" containing "ladies of the night" and "the filth" arresting "liberators" of "readies".
The average contemporary English speaker knows 50,000 words. Yet stripped down to its origins, this apparently huge vocabulary is in reality much smaller, derived from Latin, French and the Germanic languages. It is estimated that every year, 800 neologisms are added to the English language: acronyms (nimby), blended words (motel), and those taken from foreign languages (savoir-faire). Laid out in an A-Z format with detailed cross references, and written in a style that is both authoritative and accessible, Word Origins is a valuable historical guide to the English language.
We live in times of insecurity, and many church members are confused and uncertain. In this Bible study guide on the letters of John, we enter another world marked by assurance, knowledge, confidence, and boldness. Today we urgently need to hear and heed John's teaching about the nature of these certainties and the grounds on which they are built.
Completely updated for the twenty-first century, this reference presents definitions and origins of thousands of words, idioms, catchphrases, slogans, nicknames, and events from TV, literature, music, comic strips, and computer games.
This study brings three different kinds of readers of the Gospel of John together with the theological goal of understanding what is meant by Incarnation and how it relates to Pascha, the Passion of Christ, how this is conceived of as revelation, and how we speak of it. The first group of readers are the Christian writers from the early centuries, some of whom (such as Irenaeus of Lyons) stood in direct continuity, through Polycarp of Smyrna, with John himself. In exploring these writers, John Behr offers a glimpse of the figure of John and the celebration of Pascha, which held to have started with him. The second group of readers are modern scriptural scholars, from whom we learn of the apocalyptic dimensions of John's Gospel and the way in which it presents the life of Christ in terms of the Temple and its feasts. With Christ's own body, finally erected on the Cross, being the true Temple in an offering of love rather than a sacrifice for sin. An offering in which Jesus becomes the flesh he offers for consumption, the bread which descends from heaven, so that 'incarnation' is not an event now in the past, but the embodiment of God in those who follow Christ in the present. The third reader is Michel Henry, a French Phenomenologist, whose reading of John opens up further surprising dimensions of this Gospel, which yet align with those uncovered in the first parts of this work. This thought-provoking work brings these threads together to reflect on the nature and task of Christian theology.
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