Dictionary of Catch Phrases: American and British, from the Sixteenth Century to the Present Day [Hardcover]

Eric Partridge (Author), Paul Beale (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0812831012 | ISBN-13: 978-0812831016 | Publication Date: October 1986 | Edition: Rev Sub

A catch phrase is a well-known, frequently-used phrase or saying that has `caught on' or become popular over along period of time. It is often witty or philosophical and this Dictionary gathers together over 7,000 such phrases.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Stein & Day Pub; Rev Sub edition (October 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812831012
• ISBN-13: 978-0812831016
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A page turner, May 17, 2008

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Words&Music (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Dictionary of Catch Phrases (Paperback)

Perhaps most readers don't think of a "Dictionary" as a page turner, but this volume should come w/ a warning: if you open this during some sort of serious scholarly pursuit, you WILL be distracted. As an editor, Paul Bell has picked up not merely where Eric Partridge left off, but w/ the same lively tone that Partridge is famous for. Eric Partridge must surely have been the most delightful of dinner guests, w/ stories and quotes to astonish and delight for hours. This book fills something of the same purpose. It has voice! Even if you have Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional Usage (a book you cannot put down after looking up just one thing!) this is a fine addition to any library. "Slang etc." has many of these catchphrases, but in this volume, given separately, it's easier to chase down some link or thought or phrase. As ever, Partridge's Dictionaries are scrupulous about dating their entries and citing the source. That this lists both British and American together also differentiates it from the "Dictionary of Slang." This book should be a must-have reference book for any writer, if only to remind you of the swath and vivacity of expression. And, it's a wonderful tool for procrastination.