The 16th edition of this classic reference offers information about thousands of phrases and expressions which are not dealt with in conventional dictionaries. There are entries on people and events from mythology, the Bible, literature and history. Altogether, there are 18,500 main entries and thousands of sub-entries, and this edition contains 700 new entries, including contemporary phrases and expressions, and historic and fictional characters. Major new thematic entries deal with subjects such as hurricane names and mispronounced words. There is also enhanced coverage of present-day idiomatic expressions, including "the full monty", "all dressed up and nowhere to go", "back to the drawing board" and "couch potato".

A new edition of the first, the original, and the best of all phrase and fable dictionaries - an encyclopaedia of general cultural knowledge. Each entry has been re-read for this edition and updated and amended where necessary. The biggest Brewer's ever - well over a million words of text, 18,500 main entries and tens of thousands of sub-entries. 1000 entirely new entries, including contemporary phrases and expressions, and historical and fictional characters. Vastly enhanced coverage of present-day idiomatic expressions.

About the Author
Adrian Room, who has revised the millennium edition of Brewer's, is the author of over 50 popular reference books, mainly on the origins of words. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the English Place-Name Society. He lives in Lincolnshire.


Book Information
ISBN 9780304350964
Author Ebenezer Cobham Brewer
Format Hardback
Page Count 1326
Imprint Chambers
Publisher John Murray Press
Weight(grams) 1766g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 172mm * 61mm