Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms

by Anatoly Liberman

Three centuries of English idioms—their unusual origins and unexpected interpretations

To pay through the nose. Raining cats and dogs. By hook or by crook. Curry favor. Drink like a fish. Eat crow. We hear such phrases every day, but this book is the first truly all-encompassing etymological guide to both their meanings and origins. Spanning more than three centuries, Take My Word for It is a fascinating, one-of-a-kind window into the surprisingly short history of idioms in English. Widely known for his studies of word origins, Anatoly Liberman explains more than one thousand idioms, both popular and obscure, occurring in both American and British standard English and including many regional expressions.

The origins, and even the precise meaning, of most idioms are often obscure and lost in history. Based on a critical analysis of countless conjectures, with exact, in-depth references (rare in the literature on the subject), Take My Word for It provides not only a large corpus of idiomatic phrases but also a vast bibliography. Detailed indexes and a thesaurus make the content accessible at a glance, and Liberman’s introduction and conclusion add historical dimensions. The result of decades of research by a leading authority, this book is both instructive and absorbing for scholars and general readers, who won’t find another resource as comparable in scope or based on data even remotely as exhaustive.

Genres: Language

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2023

About the author

Anatoly Liberman is a philologist and professor at the University of Minnesota.

Reviews

[OneDayI'll · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many phrases I'd never even heard before. And many I thought I knew the origins of but didn't. And many that were the same phrase but came from different geographical locations. Language, like evolution, converged lol. I love learning new words, phrases or definitions. Word games are, to me, the best. So when I saw this book at the library I had to grab. I'm very glad I did.

[Knute Snortum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take My Word for It is not "popularly" written. It is a reference manual. That doesn't mean you can't glean some fun information from it, especially if you're a little nerdy. But it's not a "read from cover to cover" kind of book.

[David Christensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would be humorous, it was recommended by a friend. It was not. It was dry and clinical. For every 100 idioms listed in alphabetical order, I actually recognized or have used about 10%. It might be a great historical reference book, but it was not entertaining reading.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed that I only had heard of about 5% of the English idioms listed. Not always confident as to where they originated and often the idioms have changed wording over time. Good as a reference book.

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting reference book! I love language, and I poured over these listings. Good job, mate!

[Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably reliable, but seldom enjoyable—and I usually enjoy reading dictionaries. As an etymological reference work, 5 stars; for reading pleasure, 2 stars.