Product Description

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable is a major new reference work, providing a wealth of fascinating and informative background detail for over 20,000 phrases and allusions used in English today. Drawing from Oxford's unrivalled bank of language and quotation on-line resources, this highly browsable pot pourri of allusive terms includes entries from a broad range of topics, from classical mythology, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science and technology, philosophy, and popular culture. Biographies of both real people and fictional characters are included also. From Barbie doll to the big bang theory, 'Every dog has his day' to seven-league boots, the dictionary gives reliable, up-to-date insights into the origins and history of words and phrases. Numerous entries are enlivened with illustrative quotations, and ample cross-referencing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1157352 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1232 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Oxford University Press is known for thinking in long time spans (the first edition of the OED took 50 years). Even so, the genesis of The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable seems rather leisurely: the idea was first mooted in 1927, the book finally published in the year 2000. Perhaps this was partly because the famous Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, around since 1870, had something of a grip on that part of the market. Oxford's answer to Brewer's has taken care to be a bit bigger than its rival--it boasts 20,000 entries, rather than Brewer's 18,500. Like its rival it deals with an extraordinary hot-potch of phrases, expressions and allusions that you might struggle to find in an ordinary dictionary; as the editor puts it, "words, names and phrases with cultural resonance: items from history and religion, mythology, biography, folk customs and superstitions, science and technology, philosophy, and popular culture." The last of these includes such late 90s favourites as "Blair Babes" and "Frankenfood"--"a derogatory term for food derived from genetically modified produce, a shortening of Frankenstein food; the word is recorded from 1992 ..." explains our text, in its rather formal style, going on to give an example of early usage. A somewhat strait-laced guide it may be, but it can tell you about almost anything. Philosophers, scientists and kings, places and buildings you might find mentioned in literary works, imaginary beasts and famous sayings--they are here in vast numbers. The little Latin phrases that baffle those without a classical education? This book will introduce you to obscurities such as ductus litterarum or aquila non captat muscas, although it doesn't stoop to entries for such relatively common terms as a priori and a posteriori. Where it can't give you a definitive answer, it presents several options--two possible origins for the phrase "send to Coventry", for example, or three for "raining cats and dogs." It's a wonderful ramble through many different worlds of words, and for anyone who loves the English language and its literature, a stroll through this dictionary will necessarily be punctuated by endless curious halts as yet another mystery is explained. --David Pickering

About the Author
Elizabeth Knowles is the Managing Editor of the Oxford Quotations dictionaries.

Customer Reviews

Title misnomer!
A disappointing reference book as its title bears little resemblence to its contents!

As a dictionary of "Phrase and Fable" I expected rather more in the way of phrases. The first three pages only explain four!

The remaining entries explain such words as "abbot" and "abolitionists".

Dictionary? Yes! Of "Phrase and Fable"? Definitely not!

I recommend you glance at a copy before parting with your cash as, like me, you may not be getting what you bargained for.