Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

by Elizabeth Knowles (editor)

What is a ham-and-egger ?
What are Anglo-Saxon attitudes ?
Who or what is liable to jump the shark ?
Who first tried to nail jelly to the wall ?

The answers to these and many more questions are in this fascinating book. Here in one volume you can track down the stories behind the names and sayings you meet, whether in classic literature or today's news. This authoritative dictionary draws on Oxford's unrivalled bank of reference and
language online resources to cover classical and other mythologies, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science and technology, philosophy, and popular culture. Extensive cross referencing makes it easy to trace specific information, while every page points to further paths to explore.

What is the fog of war ?
Who first wanted to spend more time with one's family ?
When was the Dreamtime ?
How long since the first cry of Women and children first ?
Where might you find dark matter ?
Would you want the Midas touch ?
Should you worry about grey goo ?

Genres: Reference, Dictionaries, Nonfiction, Linguistics

812 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Madame Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent reference.

[Matt]

Stumbled upon this resource at the library about six weeks ago and loved it. It's basically a dictionary of allusions, which was great to thumb through. This is nerdy, I know, but I really want my own copy of this.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

read this book many years ago.excellent.