Proverbs
'Extremely useful for reference purposes, but written in an informal style attractive to the browser.'
REFERENCE REVIEW
In tracing the origins and histories of over 400 proverbs, Linda and Roger Flavell detail changes of meaning and usage that have occurred throughout each proverb's life and offer literary examples dating back over 2000 years.
Interspersed with the main text are short essays on a variety of topics, including 'What is a Proverb?' and humorous examples of famous misquotations or proverbial contradictions.
Whether treated as a work of reference or simply as a source of fascination for the browser, Dictionary of Proverbs is essential reading for anyone who delights in words.
Idioms and their Origins
"This sort of book has two purposes: the first is to be a work of reference... The second is to entertain; to tempt the reader to dip into the book at random, by unearthing interesting and obscurely derived phrases.'
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
The English language contains a great store of idioms that can be used in creative and forceful ways. Dictionary of Idioms examines over 400 such phrases, tracing each one's source and history through the chronological use of examples. To enable the authors to expand on a variety of intriguing themes, mini-essays on such subjects as What is an idiom?, The Old Curiosity Shop of Linguistics and Memorable Events appear throughout the book.
While maintaining scholarly accuracy, Linda and Roger Flavell convey their great love of the curious in language in a way that will be irresistible to the browser who delights in words
English Down the Ages
A thousand years in the history of English
Throughout history, events great and small have left their mark on the way we speak. Columbus's discovery of America introduced to Europe new foodstuffs such as chilli and chocolate-and the words that described them. The Normans gave us the feudal system and curfews, while the flourishing of Dutch art in the seventeenth century introduced easels, etchings and landscapes. Before the 1970s green was a colour with connotations of naiveté rather than ecology and until 1990 webs were mostly attached to spiders.
Starting from 1066 and working through to the modern-day boom in techno-speak, Dictionary of English Down the Ages links hundreds of words with the historical upheavals and minor social changes which gave them life.
Abundant evidence of the human knack of practical and linguistic inventiveness."
TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT
Word Origins
Words are the building blocks of language, but their derivations are often stories in themselves. Have you ever wondered why we wear perfume, read magazines, vote for candidates, speak in jargon? With entries from accolade to zoo and including such disparate items as blackmail, fiasco, influence and rigmarole, Dictionary of Word Origins explains the origins and development of 300 commonly used words. Essays scattered throughout the book deal with more general topics such as A Taste of India', 'Days of the Week' and 'Precise Timing'.
In selecting words for inclusion, Linda and Roger Flavell have chosen those with a story to tell. The result is a fascinating guide to the richness and diversity of the English language. It boasts both sufficient scholarly accuracy to satisfy the serious student and much to the delight the browser motivated by a quest for knowledge and the love of words.
4 attractive soft cover books in a slipcase
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