The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

by Elizabeth Knowles

Book Overview

Here is a wealth of background information on common phrases and allusions, encompassing everything from "rebel without a cause" and "Marlboro Man" to "The Twelve Labors of Hercules."
Drawing on Oxford's unrivalled bank of language and quotation on-line resources, this highly browsable potpourri of allusive terms includes entries from a broad range of topics, including classical mythology, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198602197
• ISBN13: 9780198602194
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 1232 Pages
• Weight: 3.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.4" x 9.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

P. Cooper

Oxford's Phrase and Fable is helpful to writers. Some of the phrases are familiar from my childhood; my mother was full of phrases and anecdotes. This book sprouts memories that are still alive.

A Must-Have for Any Writer's Reference Library

This volume contains a useful variety of words, phrases, and biography information that you won't find in any other dictionary. While reading newspapers, magazines, and other current media, I often encounter cultural references, phrases, proverbial sayings, and more, that aren't listed in any dictionary that defines single words. For example, The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable contains entries for a wide variety of subjects such as John Lennon, Pop goes the weasel, and "It's the economy, stupid." Great stuff!At well over a thousand pages, this volume has all the heft of any good dictionary.