A proverb is a saying, usually short, that expresses a general truth about life. Proverbs give advice, make an observation, or present a lesson in a succinct and memorable way. We use proverbs or allude to them often in everyday speech. Some examples of proverbs include: Better safe than sorry; The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence; If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The Facts On File Dictionary of Proverbs, Second Edition includes more than 1,700 English-language proverbs-200 of which are new-that are widely recognized today. Arranged alphabetically, entries provide the meaning of each proverb, the date it was first recorded, variant forms of the proverb, other proverbs that are similar and opposite to it in meaning, and examples of the proverb's use. This fascinating dictionary will provide readers and students with insight into this unique aspect of our language. This second edition has been expanded to include more familiar, long-established proverbs (such as "Call a spade a spade"; "It takes one to know one"; and "Worse things happen at sea") as well as a selection of more modern ones (such as "You snooze, you lose" and "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus"). Existing entries have been updated to include modern variants (such as "The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail," instead of "The female of the species is deadlier than the male" and "The geek shall inherit the earth," a variant of "The meek shall inherit the earth"). Additional, all-new features include boxes containing selected lists of proverbs from other languages and cultures.

With her signature cache of illustrations and flamboyantly gothic examples, Karen Elizabeth Gordon, "who has achieved cult status with her whimsical references, defines an array of daffy, delicious words" (Library Journal). In The Disheveled Dictionary Gordon conjures a world of words, their definitions and myriad uses, and along the way invokes favorite characters from earlier books. Gordon's eccentric wit and unique insights take readers on a delightful romp through the dictionary that will expand their vocabularies and exhilarate their minds. Along the way she celebrates not only the obscure but also our most beloved and basic words. The Disheveled Dictionary is a treat for anyone who loves language -- its sound, its sensuality, its ability to surprise and delight.

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The convenient, comprehensive, popular one-volume English/ Hebrew, Hebrew/English Dictionary
Now updated for the first time in thirty-five years
Thousands of new words in science, technology, and culture

-Tables of English irregular verbs
-Tables of the Hebrew noun and all forms of the Hebrew verb

An incomparable satirist, Ambrose Bierce became the "laughing devil" of the San Francisco news media, for he was about as discreet as a runaway locomotive, according to H.L.Mencken, and nowhere are his uninhibited irony and gift for verse parody more in evidence than in this "dictionary".

Every page in this new volume of the "Dictionary of American Regional English" makes it wonderfully clear that regional expressions still flourish throughout the United States.

Depending on where you live, your conversation may include such beguiling terms as "paddybass" (North Carolina), "pinkwink" (Cape Cod), or "scallyhoot" (West); if you're invited to a potluck dinner, in Indiana you're likely to call it a "pitch-in," while in northern Illinois it's a "scramble"; if your youngsters play hopscotch, they may call it "potsy" in Manhattan, but "sky blue" in Chicago.

Like the popular first three volumes of "DARE," the fourth is a treasure-trove of linguistic gems, a book that invites exclamation, delight, and wonder. More than six hundred maps pinpoint where you might live if your favorite card games are sheepshead and skat; if you eat "pan dulce" rather than "pain perdu"; if you drive down a "red dog road" or make a purchase at a "racket store"; or if you look out your window and see a "parka squirrel" or a "quill pig."

The language of our everyday lives is captured in "DARE," along with expressions our grandparents used but our children will never know. Based on thousands of interviews across the country, the "Dictionary of American Regional English" presents our language in its infinite variety. Word lovers will delight in the wit and wisdom found in the quotations that illustrate each entry, and will prize the richness and diversity of our spoken and written culture.

In 1750 at the age of twenty-seven Sarah Scott published her first novel, a conventional romance. A year later she left her husband after only a few months of marriage and devoted herself thereafter to writing and to promoting such causes as the creation of secular and separatist female communities. This revolutionary concept was given flesh in Millenium Hall, first published in 1762 and generally thought to be the finest of her six novels. The text may be seen as the manifesto of the 'bluestocking' movement-the protean feminism that arose under eighteenth-century gentry capitalism (originating in 1750, largely under the impetus of Scott's sister Elizabeth Montagu), and that rejected a world which early feminists saw symbolized in the black silk stockings demanded by formal society. It is a comment on Western society as well as on the strengths of Scott's novel that the message of Millenium Hall continues to resonate strongly more than two centuries later.

The ESL edition of Common Errors in English offers a comprehensive survey of the sorts of difficulties second language learners most often experience with English-and provides real help to students in overcoming them. The body of the book is organized according to grammatical categories, covering such topics as Verb Tense difficulties; Word Order Problems; Negation; Gerunds and Direct Objects; Singular and Plural Difficulties; and Direct and Indirect Speech. Included as well is a comprehensive section on usage and meaning, and a list of words commonly misspelled. The authors take care to avoid the harshly prescriptive; the book is informed throughout by a sympathetic understanding both of the difficulties that face every ESL student and of the particular problems faced by individuals from different linguistic backgrounds as they learn the peculiarities of English grammar and usage. The book includes a generous selection of exercises informed by these principles, and an accompanying answer key. Common Errors in English: ESL Edition will be an invaluable reference text for second language learners at a wide variety of levels.

In the sixth century BC, Anaximander of Miletus, an associate of Thales, initiated Western philosophy and science with a theory of how the world order arose, heavens and earth formed, and human beings came into existence. This book makes available a work that is of value for students in classics, philosophy, literature, and the history of science.

Wilkie Collins is best known for his great mystery The Moonstone and The Woman in White-and for a life as sensational as are those novels. (The writer who famously advised other novelists to 'make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait' is now known to have kept entire households in different parts of England going simultaneously.) Yet Collins also wrote a succession of extraordinarily powerful novels of private life; of these The Evil Genius is among the finest. The story is motivated by the attraction between Herbert Linley and the woman he hires as governess for his child Kitty-the long suffering Sydney Westerfield. As one expects with Collins, the story is driven forward with deft assurance. Yet he also treats the theme of adultery and divorce in a manner quite unconventional for his time-and, remarkably, he manages to draw readers into a sympathetic understanding of both of the main female characters: the offending governess and the aggrieved wife. The Evil Genius was a very considerable success when first published; indeed, it brought Collins more financially than any of his other works. Over a century later its sinews retain the strength to speak powerfully to the reader; lively and intelligent, it is perhaps the finest of Collins' later novels.

The Bible was written for people to read, ponder, and understand. The message of God's love for humans transcends time, culture, and language. Nevertheless, readers of the Bible are often left with questions. The names sound strange to our ears, the geography is often unfamiliar, and we ask, "Who was this person? Is he mentioned somewhere else in the Bible?" "When did this happen?" "Where did it happen?" "Is this a real city?" "Nelson's Foundational Bible Dictionary" seeks to answer questions like these and many more.

Features include:

• Every person mentioned in the Bible with biblical references and biographical information
• All animals and minerals mentioned in the Bible with definitions
• Modern equivalents of ancient geographical names
• Key theological terms with their various meanings and interpretations
• Common household items and occupations with cultural and historical information about life in ancient times

What is the difference between cant and jargon, or assume and presume? What is a fandango? How do you spell supersede? Is it hippy or hippie? These questions really matter to Bill Bryson, as they do to anyone who cares about the English language. Originally published as The Penguin Dictionary for Writers and Editors, Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors has now been completely revised and updated for the twenty-first century by Bill Bryson himself. Here is a very personal selection of spellings and usages, covering such head-scratchers as capitalization, plurals, abbreviations and foreign names and phrases. Bryson also gives us the difference between British and American usages, and miscellaneous pieces of essential information you never knew you needed, like the names of all the Oxford colleges, or the correct spelling of Brobdingnag. An indispensable companion to all those who write, work with the written word, or who just enjoy getting things right, it gives rulings that are both authoritative and commonsense, all in Bryson's own inimitably goodhumoured way.

What words mean exactly the same as delectable? Did you know that the opposite of friable is tough? Can you think of the antonym for ceaseless or another word for capsize?

To extend your vocabulary, broaden your verbal range and spice up your linguistic dexterity, you need look no further than The Penguin Dictionary of English Synonyms and Antonyms. This classic work of reference provides:

• A clear and complete alphabetical listing of thousands of words and their closest synonyms
• The antonym of the headword (where applicable)
• Antonyms for verbs, nouns and adjectives
• In the list of headwords, words and phrases that have recently entered the language

Invaluable for speakers (or orators) and writers (or scribes), this clear and concise work of reference offers hours of entertainment and enlightenment.

'What grammarians say should be has perhaps less influence on what shall be than even the more modest of them realize ...' No book had more influence on twentieth-century attitudes to the English language in Britain than Henry Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage. It rapidly became the standard work of reference for the correct use of English in terms of choice of words, grammar, and style. Much loved for his firm opinions, passion, and dry humour, Fowler has stood the test of time and is still considered the best arbiter of good practice. In this new edition of the original Dictionary, David Crystal goes beyond the popular mythology surrounding Fowler's reputation to retrace his method and arrive at a fresh evaluation of his place in the history of linguistic thought. With a wealth of entertaining examples he looks at Fowler's stated principles and the tensions between his prescriptive and descriptive temperaments. He shows that the Dictionary does a great more than make normative recommendations and express private opinion. In addition he offers a modern perspective on some 300 entries, in which he shows how English has changed since the 1920s. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

A shrewd observer, a master psychologist, an accomplished raconteur, Dorotheos is also a learned man with a prodigious capacity for assimilating in an organized harmony the wisdom of his precedessors in the life of the Spirit. Yet he is far more interested in humbly serving his brethren than in discoursing about the recondite aspects of the hescyhast experience. His genial candor makes him the ideal spiritual master to introduce modern readers to the rich spiritual universe of the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria.

These selections provide a brief but comprehensive introduction to Fichte's philosophical system and his place in the history of German Idealism. In addition to some of Fichte's most influential texts, such as the First and Second Introductions to the Wissenschaftslehre and The Basis of Our Belief in a Divine Governance of the World, Breazeale has translated, for the first time into English, several other writings from the same period, including Attempt at a New Presentation of the Wissenschaftslehre, Other short essays, including Fichte's replies to the charge of atheism, extend the discussions of the Introductions and respond to criticisms. Breazeale's substantial Introduction supplies the context needed for a sound appreciation of Fichte's enterprise and achievement.

A classic with children, their parents and their teachers! Specially designed for young learners, the full-colour Longman Picture Dictionary is ideal for use in school or at home and is available in both British and American English. Fun tasks and on-the-page activities help children build vocabulary and develop basic dictionary and reference skills. With its attractive format and amusing illustrations, children will go back to it again and again!.