Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (20th edition) by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (PDF)

Description

This is, in fact, not what you were looking for; but it’s much more interesting’ Terry PratchettMuch loved for its wit and wisdom since 1870,Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable takes you on a captivating adventure through its trademark blend of language, culture, myth and legend. Nowhere else could the histories of the guillotine and Guinness stout sit so comfortably alongside the KGB and the Keystone Kops. Brewer’s is a catalogue of curiosities and absurdities that, over almost 150 years in print, has acquired near-mythical status.Edited by Susie Dent, this new edition includes a brand new Collection of Curious Words and many new and updated entries. Its pages brim with esoteric and entertaining oddities – everything from curious customs to the world of newspapers and political alliances of yesteryear – all seen through the distinctive Brewer lens.This twentieth edition of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable encapsulates all the charm and wit that characterise its predecessors and maintains the standards of scholarship and eclecticism that have long been its hallmark.Whether you’re a committed Brewerphile or a newcomer to its pages of fascinating entries, this edition will draw you in and keep you glued to its rich mix of eccentric nuggets. As Susie Dent explains in the foreword, Brewer’s “is unlike any other reference book that exists, anywhere.”

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Susie Dent is the resident word expert in Dictionary Corner on C4’s Countdown and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. She comments regularly on TV and radio on words in the news, and has contributed to Woman’s Hour, 15 x 15, Word of Mouth, More or Less, Today, BBC Breakfast, and R4’s Wordaholics.. Susie is the author of several books, and has weekly columns in both the Radio Times and the website Mental Floss.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Bought this dictionary, because my brother had a copy and it looked interesting – It arrived before due date and I have only had a chance to briefly browse through it – but I look forward to reading it more closely soon.

⭐I’d heard a lot about this book from the likes of the authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman so I thought that I’d give it a look. The book is interesting but disappointing. The thing is huge, and there’s a lot in there. It’s great for browsing (you’d probably not want to read this cover to cover!), and has a lot of interesting content. It’s sort of an encyclopedia for phrase and fable, as the title suggests. But unlike an encyclopedia it’s not comprehensive or consistent in its level of coverage; some topics are covered with some depth but others just passed over or ignored. Some topics that I would expect to be included are missing; for example, I couldn’t find the list of mythical creatures that I looked for. Isn’t that part of fable? Wikipedia is much more complete. Another fault is the significant numb er of formatting errors: paragraph breaks are missing, and bolding and italicizing are inconsistent. I noticed some factual errors; when I see incorrect descriptions for topics that I know something about I wonder about the accuracy of the rest of it. But I suppose that this isn’t meant as an authoritative source but rather a place to start, just as I would consider Wikipedia. But Wikipedia is much more complete.

⭐Fun well organized reference book

⭐This book is amazing. The condition that I received it in, not so much.

⭐I have 3 editions of Brewers Phrase and Fable; the first being the Millenium Edition published in 1999 by Cassell which in my opinion has a more readable bolder typeface than the more recent editions published by Chambers. With many new entries; I especially like the ‘What do you call….’ section. Still no Beaufort scale included though. A £15 price increase (£30 for 18th edition to £45 for the 20th edition is a bit steep in my opinion for just an extra 60 odd pages, however having said that, Amazon’s special price of just £12.99 makes it an absolute bargain

⭐The fact that this has gone through 20 editions since it was first published in 1870 speaks for itself. It is not just a dictionary – it is an encyclopedia of words and phrases ranging from the commonplace to the weird. It is a must for lovers of the English language with all its idiosyncrasies – and having Susie Dent as its editor is a guarantee that it is up-to-date and of its continuing relevance and quality. Switch off the TV, open the book at random – and enjoy!

⭐Thousands of phrases explained in this huge thick book.. A fascinating book to dip in and out of. I go to look a phrase up and end up reading on and on. I only give it four stars because there are quite a few phrases not included but as it’s about five inches thick I suppose they couldn’t include any more.

⭐On receipt, the book has been printed incorrectly. There are duplicated and missing pages in the copy I received yesterday.

⭐Purchased as a gift for a friend who introduced me to mystery hour where this book is held in high esteem. It really was interesting to flick through.It really makes a good present (for a friend or yourself).

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