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Overview
If you think idioms are a "tough nut to crack," pick up the revised SCHOLASTIC DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS. Fun new design and more than 700 common American phrases, sayings, and expressions.Cat got your tongue? Penny for your thoughts? Come again? Every day, idioms bring color to our speech. Since they don't really mean what they say, idioms can stump even the native English-speaker. Marvin Terban makes understanding idioms "as easy as pie" with the revised SCHOLASTIC DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS. Explanations for, and origins of, more than 700 everyday American idioms, complete with kid-friendly sample sentences. The entries are amusing as well as educational. Alphabetical listing and cross-referencing index makes finding idioms a "piece of cake."
An alphabetical listing of common figures of speech, along with their definitions and origins.
Synopsis
Cat got your tongue? Penny for your thoughts? Come again? Every day, idioms bring color to our speech. Since they don't really mean what they say, idioms can stump even the native English-speaker. Marvin Terban makes understanding idioms "as easy as pie" with the revised SCHOLASTIC DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS. Explanations for, and origins of, more than 700 everyday American idioms, complete with kid-friendly sample sentences. The entries are amusing as well as educational. Alphabetical listing and cross-referencing index makes finding idioms a "piece of cake."
Publishers Weekly
Humor and illustrations add spice to over 600 definitions and origins of common idiomatic phrases. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but this one's it's a barrel of monkeys. Ages 8-up. (Feb.)
Editorials
From the Publisher
"Terban explains the meanings and origins (if known) of more than 600 idioms and proverbs in this intriguing book." (Booklist, March 15,1996)"Reference tools may be a dime a dozen in this dog-eat-dog world, but here's a soup-to-nuts dictionary of colloquialisms that doesn't beat around the bush...an appealing browse as well as useful (and perhaps unique) resource for kids baffled by the intricacies of the English language." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August 1996)
"From 'ace up your sleeve' to 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks,' this introduction to idiomatic phrases, sayings, and expressions is clear and easy to use." (School Library Journal, May 1996)