Customer Reviews

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Christine Ammer's Dictionary of Idioms is one of the best I've bought (I already have four). English is my second language and I have trouble keeping up with the innumerable idioms. So I use this reference almost every time I write. Better use that idiom correctly, right?

Unlike others I've used the entries in Ammer's are arranged alphabetically. They're not categorized as 'idioms preceded by a preposition', 'noun idioms', etc. Such dictionaries are so tedious to use! And the fact that the book is over 700 pages long in a 9 x 7 inch format can only mean that it has a comprehensive line-up of idioms. It isn't complete as I've discovered, but it has a very good range.

What's more it's cross referenced. If you remember only a keyword or two of the idiom you have in mind you can look up those words and check if the dictionary has entries for that idiom. For instance under the entry 'out' is listed probably a hundred idioms that has that preposition. As a bonus, Ammer has included for most entries a brief note on their origins.

Contrary to some reviews if you need a dependable reference on idioms this book is worth buying. Though not perfect it's extremely easy to use, helpful and packed with what it's suppose to have--lots of idioms!

This book has more idioms and better definitions than any of the other four idiom references I've purchased. It also goes into origins more than the other references.

One of the reviewers complained about this reference and suggested that potential buyers should look else ware. Maybe they should have mentioned where to look because I haven't found a better reference.

This fascinating reference provides historical information about the derivation of many idioms we hear everyday. Often the meaning has changed in surprising ways over the years, and the author's exploration of alternative possible origins for these phrases is like a mystery novel for language lovers! While it is easy to look up a particular idiom, the book also makes for fun light reading.

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms is certainly chock full of idioms. However, the origins or backgrounds are not included. Without an origin is is difficult to fully appreciate the meaning and context of any given idiom. I did not find the book particularly useful.

I ordered this book for a friend but, after it arrived, found myself motoring off to the local bookstore for something more suitable. And to the post office to send this one back. A random sampling of references I found almost insultingly simplistic include: "as far as possible," "broad daylight," "goof off," "good night." This last is defined as "Expression of farewell used when parting at night or when going to sleep." Does any competent English-speaker need this phrase defined? And isn't this one of the first phrases non-English-speakers are taught in language class? Who, then, is this definition for? I could easily pull an equally ludicrous example from each of this book's 729 pages but these few should suffice to make the point. Of the reputed 10,000 idioms listed in this book, my guess is that perhaps no more than 1,000 are of any merit. And that's being generous. If you're looking for a stimulating, informative lexicon of interesting idioms, along with more detail on their origination, look elsewhere.

Maybe it goes without saying, since this is officially a "dictionary," that the emphasis is on the *meanings* of idioms. Far more interesting, however, would be a book explaining the origins and historical uses of idioms--this is what I was hoping for when I bought this.

Pages are many but the print is large--there's not as much here as AH wants you to think! The definitions are painfully elementary. If you're studying English as a second language, I'm sure this would be a big help. If you're seeking enlightenment, keep seeking!

I highly recommend everyone who needs to know and understand American English idioms and spoken phrases better and better to use this readable and practical book. You should not take seriously the reviews made by native American speakers into account, because it is their own language, so this book may appear to be too easy for them to learn anything new. But I would like to announce that what foreign learners need to know are in this excellent book!

This idiom dictionary is comprehensive, beautifully written, and well-organized. All of the idioms are listed alphabetically with clearly written explanations and examples. In addition, with many of the idioms, Ammer gives a brief (almost too brief, in my opinion) explanation of the origin of the idiom. My one complaint with this dictionary is that it is weighted toward older idioms (i.e. those related to the folk tales, drama, novels, the King James Bible, and the lifestyles of Medieval-Renaissance period in western Europe). This is understandable since many American idioms come from that place and time period, but The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms is definitely not the book to get for a comprehensive post-1950s listing of Americans idioms. Overall, this is a great resource for American idioms and a must for anyone creating ESL books and materials like myself.

Buy this book for a gift, but first buy a copy for yourself! I've found this book fascinating just to thumb through, and also a great reference for specific expressions I've looked up. The book contains many expressions you will not know, but also shows how some widely known expressions have had their original definitions altered through use and misuse over time. Kudos to Ammer for a reference book that is great fun!

I look up words and idioms on a regular basis and I have not found a better idioms dictionary than this "American Heritage dictionary of Idioms" by Christine Ammer. The definitions are simple enough to easily understand but well written enough to give a full, clear meaning. In addition it is very easy to find an idiom because of the various cross-indexing that is done. There have been a number of idioms that I could find nowhere else but they were in this book. I recently bought a copy to replace an old one in a course room that I attend regularly. The old one was so well used that it literally had broken into several pieces but was still being used in this state because of its popularity.