Featured Selections

The Miracle of Language
By Richard Lederer

Welcome to Richard Lederer's beguiling celebration of language - of our ability to utter, write, and receive words. No purists need stop here. Mr. Lederer is no linguistic sheriff organizing posses to hunt down and string up language offenders. Instead, join him "In Praise of English," and discover why the tongue described in Shakespeare's day as "of small reatch" has become the most widely spoken language in history.

Cliches: Over 1500 Phrases Explored and Explained
By Betty Kirkpatrick

Kirkpatrick has compiled some 1,500 phrases here. After an "introduction that discusses the controversy over the definition of clichés and the . . . reputation they have acquired, Kirkpatrick offers an alphabetic listing of such . . . {clichés} as lock, stock and barrel; over the moon; thanks but no thanks; and we must have lunch sometime.

The Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States
 By Philip H. Herbst

This dictionary defines approximately 850 controversial, confusing or offensive ethnic and racial terms used in the U.S., with discussions of the social and historic origins of each term and the implications when it is used. . . . Each entry includes a definition and an indication of how the word or phrase might be offensive. Longer entries . . . provide historical perspective, and some entries also give pronunciation, illustrative examples, references, different forms, acceptable substitutes, synonyms, and cross-references.

The Slangman Guide to STREET SPEAK 3
The Complete Course In American Slang and Idioms
By David Burke

This book contains entertaining dialogues, activities and games to help you learn popular slang and idioms used constantly in American movies, music, relationships, and in daily American life. 

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