Oxford Dictionary of Idioms

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms

 • Contains over 6,000 idioms from all over the English-speaking world
 • Hundreds of illustrative quotations, both modern and historical, offer readers a clear idea of how the phrases can be used
 • Extra features offer fascinating additional information for many entries
 • Easy to navigate, including many cross-references, making it ideal for quick reference.
 • Most useful alternative words given first, with word closest in meaning to entry word given in bold
 • Draws on the latest findings of Oxford's language monitoring, the largest dictionary research programme in the world

Did you know that 'flavour of the month' originated in a marketing campaign in American ice-cream parlours in the 1940s, when a particular flavour would be specially promoted for a month at a time? And did you know that 'off the cuff' refers to the rather messy practice of writing impromptu notes on one's shirt cuff before speaking in public?
These and many more idioms are explained and put into context in the Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms.
The dictionary takes a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that make English the rich and intriguing language that it is and contains entries for over 6,000 idioms. These include a range of recently established idioms such as 'the elephant in the corner', 'go figure', 'like a rat up a drainpipe', 'sex on legs', 'step up to the plate', 'too posh to push', 'a walk in the park', 'win ugly'.
Many entries include additional features which give more detailed background on the idiom in question. For example, did you know that 'taken aback' was adopted from nautical terminology that described a ship unable to move forward because of a strong headwind pressing its sails back against the mast?
Anyone interested in the colourful side of the English language will get hours of fun browsing from this fascinating and informative app.

A SEARCH TOOL

featuring search autocomplete to help you find words quickly by displaying predictions similar to the terms you're typing. You also get enhanced search extras including:

 • A quick search of words while you type.
 • A 'fuzzy filter' for when you are not sure of the correct spelling of a word.
 • A 'keyword' search for finding key words within compound words.
 • A wild card search function ('*' or '?') which can replace a letter or entire parts of a word.
 • Download dictionary definitions locally for offline word lookup.

A LEARNING TOOL

including a number of features that help you further enhance your vocabulary:

 • A 'Favorites' feature to create custom folders with lists of words from the extensive library, including cross-curriculum words.
 • History list to help you easily review looked-up words.
 • Discover more using the included special language notes.
 • See words in context with example sentences.
 • 'Word-of-the-day' feature with dedicated homescreen widget.

A mobile dictionary application from MobiSystems with content from Oxford University Press.

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