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Product Description
About the Author
Educated at Oxford and Reading, Julia Cresswell has worked on the Shorter OED and the Encarta dictionary and is author of the Guinness Book of Place Names and several other reference books
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I liked it - not a dictionary that is difficult to read but a book you can dip into for five minutes or read read for thirty. It missed one of my favourite cliches, but taught me about several new ones. I enjoyed the story of the author spotting the arrival of "not fit for purpose". I will try it out on my three aunts as a Christmas present.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Someone gave me this as a present and given my love of all that our English language has to offer (I have enjoyed similar books, such as Balderdash and Piffle), I thought this would be a real winner.
How wrong I was.
The entries are repetitive (OK, I understand it's not meant to be like a dictionary, but could the author at least have made it a bit more comprehensive?), and the defintions drone on in a most unimaginative manner. The author professes to know everything about the subject, but the limitations of their knowledge are immediately apparent. And the tone taken in the book is an extremely pretentious one that makes one cringe to read it. The way the author treats you like an idiot is probably the worst element.
It's as though the author decided upon showing off how many "clichés" she knew in the English language, instead of giving us the interesting detail that a true linguist would provide.
Long story short: Don't bother with this if you're looking for a nice reference of clichés. As the other reviewer on here noted, you'd be a lot better off with a collection of such phrases from a respected authority like Oxford - not some nobody, with an over-inflated sense of their own ego. It's long, it's rambling, and it manages those qualities without even offering the joy of detail one expects.
Avoid!
How wrong I was.
The entries are repetitive (OK, I understand it's not meant to be like a dictionary, but could the author at least have made it a bit more comprehensive?), and the defintions drone on in a most unimaginative manner. The author professes to know everything about the subject, but the limitations of their knowledge are immediately apparent. And the tone taken in the book is an extremely pretentious one that makes one cringe to read it. The way the author treats you like an idiot is probably the worst element.
It's as though the author decided upon showing off how many "clichés" she knew in the English language, instead of giving us the interesting detail that a true linguist would provide.
Long story short: Don't bother with this if you're looking for a nice reference of clichés. As the other reviewer on here noted, you'd be a lot better off with a collection of such phrases from a respected authority like Oxford - not some nobody, with an over-inflated sense of their own ego. It's long, it's rambling, and it manages those qualities without even offering the joy of detail one expects.
Avoid!
7 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As one who often engages mouth before brain, I enjoyed this book which will make me think twice before I speak in future. It is full of unexpected information, and the discursive form makes it very readable. You get the impression that the author clearly knows her stuff but also knows how to get it across to the rest of us. It's a good book for dipping into to fill the odd moment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The ideal Christmas present
This is without doubt the absolute ideal Christmas stocking stuffer or present to someone who is difficult to find a present for. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2008 by R. Stuart-kotze
Disappointing
I gave this book one star because, although what it has is good, it's brief and vague, and the author makes sweeping assumptions about origins without backing them up or providing... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2007 by Anthony Hurst
Interesting and great fun
Great fun, while authoritative, and scholarly. You can dip in and out, so a perfect book for the train or waiting-room, and as a present for almost anyone curious about our... Read more
Published on 11 Dec 2007 by R. brown
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