The dictionary of cliches

by James T. Rogers

Book Overview

"The best kind of reference book--one that amuses as it instructs. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker." CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALERR IN A NUTSHELL, here's a terrific A TO Z listing of the meanings and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760725292
• ISBN13: 9780760725290
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

If you're a writer or do speeches or presentations PERFECT

Love the opening when it says not to beat around the bush or hedge the bet, this is a must-read for every Tom, Dick and Harry under the Sun-- by PEOPLE magazine. Origins of almost every phrase you've ever heard. It's the cat's meow. I'm a writer of books and articles and it is one of half dozen books I keep on the desk, not the shelves-- Great when you want to ROCK THE BOAT or are afraid to RISK LIFE AND LIMB -- fun for using when coming up with a title for an article or when you've got writer's block. Even if you're rolling in the money you need to roll with the punches and get the show on the road....gives the origin, derivation and a sentence as to how the phrase is used . Compact little book 370 pages packed with hundred-- maybe thousands of phrases...don't miss it.

To be or not to be ... let's talk clichés.

This little jewel "comes on like gangbusters." This simile is a cliché, the bane of good writing; while they are acceptable in dialogue, in prose these truisms transform good writing into mediocre text.This particular cliché was coined during a 1940's radio program called "Gangbusters," which opened with gunfire and police sirens showing that the good guys were once more closing in on a gang of thugs. The term "Gangbusters" is a cliché in prose, but the scene is a backbone of action movies or TV scripts. How does a writer or editor keep the story from becoming boring by the over usage of clichés? That is where this dictionary comes in. As an example, I will string a few of the clichés together in the following paragraph. It may give the appearance of originality, but it is as old as the 'grim reaper' (1711). The humor is in the excessive number of clichés, but reading a story put together with clichés quickly becomes boring. I will insert the date the phrase became popular. 'Tom, Dick, and Harry' (1604) were 'fit as a fiddle' (1616), though Wally was 'dead as a doornail' (1350). No one thought about Wally 'in the heat of the battle' (1588) because it was 'do or die' (1809) since they all knew they 'bit off more than they could chew' (1878). Wally was as 'hard as nails' (1837), and had the 'bird's eye view' (18th century) perched, as he was, 'out on a limb' (1897). They agreed that Wally should have seen 'that snake in the grass' (13th century) or 'smelled a rat' (1550) when Sam 'cast the first stone' (Bible reference) toward him. However, Wally always expected a 'square deal' (1633) because 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' (1275), and he had known Sam since 'time immemorial' (1189). Of course, 'money is the root of all evil' (Timothy 6:10) and Sam was 'rotten to the core' (1718), so it should not be a surprise that he was also 'a cold hearted' (1606) 'eager beaver' (18th century) who 'shot {Wally} to hell' (1706) 'in cold blood' (1608). Tom, Dick, and Harry could 'go along for the ride' (1960) or 'explore every avenue' (1890) so they could 'divide the spoils' (Isaiah 12:25). They were, after all, living in 'a den of thieves (Matthew 21:13), and Wally was up there 'on cloud nine' (1950). The Dictionary of Clichés is a treasure for writers and editors, and an 'honest to goodness' (1900) delight for everyone else. I enjoyed the history associated with over 2,000 clichés. To me it is five stars.Victoria Tarrani

The Dictionary of Clichés

I got this book years ago as a joke. My mother uses clichés all the time and I thought it would be funny to give her the book. However, I kept it because I found it so interesting. Now it is integral to the research I do for my website. This book is informative, and well put together. I say BUY THIS BOOK!

COMPLETELY COMPLETE!!!

This is, without a doubt, THE best book of clichés ever written! It has EVERY cliché you'll ever need to know and is rife with histories of each cliché to boot! This book is a bibliophile's paradise, an historian's haven, and a boon to ALL students and/or lovers of the English language. You COULD buy Feldman's books (e.g.- "Imponderables," "Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?" "Do Penguins Have Knees?" etc., etc.) or the Funk books (e.g.- "Heavens to Betsy," "A Hog On Ice," etc., etc.) but I wouldn't recommend it. You'd have to buy ALL of those books to get all the clichés in THIS book. So, for your time and money considerations, I say: BUY THIS BOOK!