Dictionary of Modern Proverbs

This extensive collection of proverbs, all coined after 1900, reflects the experiences and perplexities of the modern world

"You can't unring a bell." "It takes a village to raise a child." "Life is just a bowl of cherries." We sometimes think of proverbs as expressions of ancient wisdom, but in fact new proverbs are constantly arising. This unique volume is devoted exclusively to English-language proverbs that originated in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The most complete and accurate such collection ever compiled, The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs presents more than 1,400 individual proverbs gathered and researched with the help of electronic full-text databases not previously used for such a project.

Entries are organized alphabetically by key words, with information about the earliest datable appearance, origin, history, and meaning of each proverb. Mundane or sublime, serious or jocular, these memorable sayings represent virtually every aspect of the modern experience. Readers will find the book almost impossible to put down once opened; every page offers further proof of the immense vitality of proverbs and their colorful contributions to the oral traditions of today.

Charles Clay Doyle is associate professor of English and linguistics, University of Georgia, and past president of the Western States Folklore Society. He lives in Athens, GA.

Wolfgang Mieder is professor of German and folklore, University of Vermont. He is the author or editor of numerous books on proverbs and the founding editor of Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship. He lives in Burlington, VT.

Fred R. Shapiro is associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School. He is author or editor of several previous books, including the The Yale Book of Quotations. He lives in New Haven, CT.