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

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192800841 ISBN 13: 9780192800848

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1998

Synopsis

Proof of the principle, the more the merrier, this is an expanded edition of an ever-popular dictionary. Now reissued and updated, this invaluable work of reference provides the reader with over 1,000 of the best-known English proverbs from around the world. For this third edition the explanatory material has been expanded and new proverbs added including "Never say never," "It takes one to know one," "The devil is in the details," and "If you want something done, ask a busy person."

Key features of the third edition:

* Updated to include every major proverb in use in the twentieth century

* Quotations provide a fascinating history of each proverb

* Thematic index helps you find proverbs on subjects ranging from boasting to weddings

About this title

About the Author

About the Editors John Simpson is Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, and a Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. He is the editor, with John Ayto, of the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang.

Jennifer Speake is a freelance writer. She is the editor of the Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases and is currently preparing a dictionary of idioms, to be published by OUP in 1999.

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: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0192800841
• ISBN 13: 9780192800848
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 333
• Editor: Simpson John, Speake Jennifer