Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings

A detailed, annotated reference encompasses more than 1,500 proverbs and sayings in current American usage, along with thousands of sample citations, extensive cross-references, two indexes, and a complete bibliography. 15,000 first printing.

"Nobody is perfect." "All roads lead to Rome." "Hold your horses." We have all heard these proverbs at one time or another. This dictionary traces the roots of the more than 1,500 proverbs and sayings commonly used in America and provides their meanings, major variations, and frequency of use. Also included are 10,000 illustrative citations, many from the 1980s and 1990s, drawn from literature, television, radio, magazines, and newspapers.

The proverbs are arranged in alphabetical order, and extensive cross-references facilitate use. The illustrative citations make for interesting reading. The proverb, "Believe only half of what you see and nothing you hear," for example, is traced back to the Proverbs of Alfred (ca. 1300) and was first attested in the U.S. in 1770. There are seven illustrative citations, beginning in 1975, including "You can believe only half of what people tell you. Trouble is, which half?" --Joey Adams, New York Post. A six-page bibliography lists major collections of proverbs and sayings, books, newspapers, and magazines cited in the dictionary. It lists several more comprehensive collections of proverbs, such as Wolfgang Mieder's Dictionary of American Proverbs (Oxford, 1992), which contains 15,000 proverbs, and Bartlett Whiting's Modern Proverbs and Proverbial Sayings (Harvard, 1989), which contains 5,500. A keyword index completes the volume.

This dictionary is fascinating reading and provides much insight into the nature of language. It will have a wide appeal to writers and students. Highly recommended for all types of libraries as a popular complement to the more scholarly titles mentioned above.