Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms

RR 2004/199 Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Editor in chief Paul Heacock Cambridge University Press Cambridge 2003 xiv + 498 pp. ISBN 0 521 53271 X £14.95/$24

Keywords Dictionaries, English language, United States of America

Review DOI 10.1108/09504120410535335

This handy and well-thought-out book out was a joy to review. From the simple definition of an idiom as "a phrase whose meaning is different from the meanings of each word considered separately", through well-laid out pages with keywords that stand out, to the subject index at the end, this is a delightfully uncluttered and user-friendly book for the home and library reference shelves.

The idioms are arranged alphabetically by headwords - basically the first-cited noun, though clear guidance is given where this does not apply. Other forms of the same idiom may follow; then a note which gives information about when the idiom is used (e.g. spoken, slang); one or more definitions that explain the basic meaning of every idiom; one or more example sentences...