The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (Oxford Quick Reference) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192800027 ISBN 13: 9780192800022

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1994

Synopsis

From Roman times to the computer age, proverbs have added spice to our language. This new edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs contains over 1,000 of the best-known proverbs from around the world, including 100 new to this edition. For example, did you know that A trouble shared is a trouble halved wasn't recorded before the twentieth century? Or that A watched pot never boils first appears as late as 1848? With new proverbs from the computer world and economics, such as Garbage in, garbage out and There's no such thing as a free lunch, and popular show business phrases like The best thing in life are free, from the 1927 song, this fascinating guide provides every major proverb in use in the twentieth century, old and new. Numerous illustrative quotations provide a documentary history of each proverb from its first recorded use in written English, and earlier related forms in other languages are also provided. Plus, a new thematic index allows the reader to find proverbs dealing with particular subjects and situations as diverse as beauty and bee keeping, warfare and weather.
Up-to-date and authoritative, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs is an invaluable resource for writers, students, phraseologists, and just plain word-lovers.

About this title

About the Author

About the Editors:
John Simpson is Co-Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. Jennifer Speake is editor of many reference works, including A Dictionary of the Renaissance.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9-12-- This new edition of the 1982 title contains over 1000 proverbs commonly used in 20th-century Britain, with 100 entries new to this edition. Arranged alphabetically by the first significant word, each one includes illustrative quotations, beginning with the earliest known use. Some entries include short explanatory notes or definitions of words as they were originally used. Cross references provide additional access as does the topical index, a new feature in this edition. The dictionary's value for American students may be limited by its scope, which requires that the proverb be used in modern Britain. American proverbs are included, however, when they have current British use, and, of course, a great many have crossed the Atlantic, if not in spoken American English then at least in literature classes. Inclusion of computer-related phrases that are not likely to be in older reference sources make this especially valuable. An effective tool for students and language lovers.
- Danita Nichols, New York Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0192800027
• ISBN 13: 9780192800022
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 330
• Editor: Simpson John