In day-to-day speech we use words and phrases without a passing thought as to why we use them or where they come from. Max Cryer changes all that by showing how fascinating the English language really is. Did you know that the former host of Today, Jane Pauley, claims to have coined the term “bad hair day,” or that a CBS engineer named Charley Douglass invented the name and use of “canned laughter” for television, or that “cold turkey” as a term for quitting something immediately was popularized by the novel and movie (starring Frank Sinatra), The Man with the Golden Arm? Here you’ll learn the origins of “credibility gap,” “my lips are sealed,” “the opera’s not over until the fat lady sings,” “supermarket,” “supermodel,” “there’s no accounting for taste,” “thick as thieves,” and hundreds more. For anyone who loves language, this new book will “take the cake.”

Based on American rather than British English, this is among the first Russian dictionaries revised for the post-Soviet era. Includes new political terminology, new Russian institutions, new countries and republics and new city names. Contains 26,000 entries in the English-Russian section and 40,000 words in the Russian-English section. Irregularities in Russian declensions and conjugations appear at the beginning of each entry.

Easy French Phrase Book is an excellent resource for both serious French language learners or for the casual traveler who's planning a visit to France. The book comes packed with 1500 commonly used phrases in French, English and a pronunciation guide to make sure you say the phrases correctly.

This language-learning system offers the chance to quickly and efficiently develop the practical Italian needed for travel. 2 CDs with 90 minutes of material feature phrases and sentences spoken first in English and then in Italian, followed by a pause for repetition. The accompanying 80-page manual contains each word and phrase on the CDs.

This guide helps new speakers unravel the mystery of colloquial American speech. Each of the 1,700 entries includes a mini-dialogue that dramatizes the meaning and use of phrases in greetings, goodbyes, and in small talk.

Learn 1,100 useful Korean phrases based on 100 commonly used sentence patterns, with QR codes for audio tracks and cute, witty illustrations that will make your studying more fun.

Anda ingin terdengar natural saat berbicara bahasa Inggris? Dan memahami secara utuh maksud yang ingin disampaikan oleh penutur asli berbahasa Inggris? Anda mungkin lebih mengerti bahasa Inggris bila dituangkan dalam bentuk tulisan. Namun, ketika penutur asli berbahasa Inggris mengajak Anda berbicara, sering kali mereka menggunakan ungkapan-ungkapan yang mungkin terdengar asing bagi kita atau belum pernah kita dengar sama sekali. Melalui kamus ini, Anda diharapkan akan lebih memahami maksud perkataan para penutur asli ketika Anda mendengarkan pembicaraan mengenai suatu topik. Anda juga diharapkan akan menggunakan ungkapan-ungkapan yang terdapat di dalam kamus ini sehingga bahasa Inggris Anda tidak lagi terdengar kaku di telinga para penutur asli berbahasa Inggris. Tunggu apalagi? Mari bergaul ala Amerika!

Idiomantics is a unique exploration of the world of idiomatic phrases. The very etymology of the word 'idiom' reveals what's so endlessly fascinating about the wide range of colourful phrases we use in everyday speech: their peculiarity. They're peculiar both in the sense of being particular or unique to the culture from which they originate, and in the sense of being downright odd. To cite three random examples - from American English, Dutch and Italian - what on Earth are a snow job, a monkey sandwich story, and Mr Punch's secret? Fascinating and illuminating, Idiomantics explains all... The ideal gift for word buffs and in fact, anyone who enjoys a good yarn, this playful book looks at 12 groups of idioms around the world, looking at subjects such as fun and games, gastronomic delights and the daily grind.