NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

This dictionary provides 14,000 examples of usage for more than 7,500 idiomatic forms in American English. Entries have been completely revised and updated to focus on the user's need to know the meaning, usage, and appropriate contexts of each idiomatic phrase.

The dictionary contains a comprehensive Phrase-Finder Index that allows you to look up any key word in an expression and find the exact location of that expression in the main body of the dictionary. This feature allows you to identify and locate partially remembered expressions quickly and easily and to compare similar expressions at a glance.

Among the other special features of NTC's American Idioms Dictionary are the following:<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">

An appendix lists 500 fixed order sequences–phrases such as fast and furious–which cannot be reversed.

Each entry has at least two examples.

Variable parts of an expression are distinguished from fixed elements in the entry head through the use of different type styles; for example, dawn on someone.

NTC's American Idioms Dictionary is an ideal reference for learners and others who seek a thorough and practical guide to contemporary American English idioms.

Editorial from Booklist

If you have ever wondered what it is like to be at sixes or sevens or to raise hob with someone, NTC's American Idioms Dictionary is the place to look for answers. Containing more than 8,500 idiomatic phrases commonly occurring in daily conversation in the U.S., this third edition, with more than 600 new senses, defines our many baffling and confusing expressions.

Although word origins are not given, this source focuses on what the users need to know: the meaning, usage, and the appropriate contexts for each idiomatic phrase.

Several features make this dictionary easy and appealing to use. An introductory chapter clearly and thoroughly provides strategies to assist in finding a phrase or expression. Entries are arranged alphabetically by first word of the phrase. Some definitions are followed by comments that explain variations of the phrase and what the phrase refers to. The idiom is used in a sample sentence, and should the idiom have an alternate meaning, additional sentences are given.

Definitions are further enhanced by cross-references and labels such as "folksy" and "informal." A convenient "Phrase-Finder Index" uses any keyword–noun, verb, adjective, or adverb–to guide in the location of a hard-to-find idiom. An appendix lists 500 irreversible binomials and trinomials, the two or three words always stated in a fixed order (e.g., before and after; heart and soul; hook, line, and sinker ).