Take My Word for It

A Dictionary of English Idioms

Anatoly Liberman

$39.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

New South Books
15 April 2023

Language: reference & general; Historical & comparative linguistics

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.

By: Anatoly Liberman
Imprint: New South Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 178mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 312g
ISBN: 9781517914127
ISBN 10: 1517914124
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 15 April 2023
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Anatoly Liberman is professor of Germanic philology at the University of Minnesota. He has written more than twenty books, including A Bibliography of English Etymology and An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology (both from Minnesota).

Reviews for Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms

"""This is a treasure trove for scholars who enjoy tracing the ever-developing nuances of the English language.""—Booklist ""If you’ve ever wanted to know the origins of some of the English language’s more colorful expressions you will thoroughly enjoy paging through Anatoly Liberman's new book, Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms""—Minnesota Alumni ""Spanning more than three centuries, Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms is a fascinating, one-of-a-kind window into the surprisingly short history of idioms in English.""—New Books Network ""Liberman writes in a way that is inclusive and accessible for all, creating not only an interesting collection of trivia that would sit attractively on any bookshelf but also providing a sort of study guide for non-native English speakers as they attempt to navigate the intrinsically difficult nature of the language.""—Mankato Free Press ""Take My Word for It, while impressively scholarly, is also a highly entertaining read.""—Star Tribune ""Why does so long! mean “goodbye”? Why are hatters proverbially mad? Anatoly Liberman comes to the rescue with his latest book, Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms.""—The New Criterion "