Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins

From ""Axis of Evil"" to ""Zoot Suit Riots"" a complete guide to the many words and phrases often ignored in dictionaries. Praise for the previous editions: ""A feast for phrase detectives...that will enliven debates and illuminate issues."" William Safire ""...recommended for large public and academic libraries that serve the curious as well as the scholarly.""—Choice ""...roughly triple the greatest number [of entries] in any previous collection of its kind."" Reference and Research Book News ""...language lovers will romp among its pages with as much excitement as a cat rolling in catnip.""—Reference Reviews on www.gale.com ""...provides a winner to any who want a comprehensive coverage more in-depth than most casual lay treatments. This A-Z collection includes slang, proverbs, animal and place names and historical expressions under one cover, making an invaluable reference for students of language.""—Midwest Book Review ""Clear and easy to read...provides a wealth of background material for anyone interested in words and languages.""—Calliope An updated and expanded edition, The Facts On File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Third Edition contains definitions and origins of more than 12,500 words and expressions, making it the most comprehensive single-volume reference of its kind. Anecdotes and information on the development of a wide range of words, including slang, proverbs, animal and plant names, place names, nicknames,historical expressions, foreign language expressions, and phrases from literature, are included. The emphasis throughout is on words and expressions whose origins are not adequately explained, or not addressed at all, in standard dictionaries. With approximately 3,500 new entries, this appealing encyclopedia will engage word lovers and researchers alike. New entries include: All the world's a stage Axis; Allies; Axis of Evil Black dog Bollywood Icebound Infracaninophile Juvenalian Kafkaesque Karaoke Kept woman Larrikin Let's roll! Limburger Nightcap No dice Old fuddy duddy Perp walk Rap music; flyting Royal we.Hendrickson, Robert is the author of 'Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins', published 2004 under ISBN 9780816059928 and ISBN 0816059926.