Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable

by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

"...peerless...Brewer's has kept ahead of the game by compiling this marvelous compendium...It has captured the flavor of the past 100 years."--The TimesFrom American Express to American Psycho, Dadaism to Durex, the Zapata moustache to the Zinoviev letter, take an up-to-date look at the diverse and entertaining linguistic landscape of our culture. Here, deftly defined and intriguingly displayed, are thousands of words, phrases, slogans, names, events, and titles of songs, books, films, and TV programs that resonate with English-speaking people everywhere. In addition to many unusual gems, you'll find fascinating lists, focused on such varied subjects as rock group monikers, operations code names of World War II, nicknames of famous sportspeople, and some of the most celebrated advertising slogans of the past century.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Research, Language

Paperback

First published June 30, 2001

Reviews

[Sigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A self-described "almsbasket of words." Find out what slubberdegullion means or where the sandwich got its name, but expect to spend hours more browsing.