"Dr Brewer's classic work of reference, fully revised and updated for the millennium, now available in paperback"

This Dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. What is a ham-and-egger? What are Anglo-Saxon attitudes? Who or what is liable to jump the shark? Who first tried to nail jelly to the wall? The answers to these and many more questions are in this fascinating book. Here in one volume you can track down the stories behind the names and sayings you meet, whether in classic literature or today's news. Drawing on Oxford's unrivalled bank of reference and language online resources, this dictionary covers classical and other mythologies, history, religion, folk customs, superstitions, science and technology, philosophy, and popular culture. Extensive cross referencing makes it easy to trace specific information, while every page points to further paths to explore. A fascinating slice of cultural history, and a browser's delight from start to finish. What is the fog of war? Who first wanted to spend more time with one's family? When was the Dreamtime? How long since the first cry of Women and children first? Where might you find dark matter? Would you want the Midas touch? Should you worry about grey goo?

An etymological survey of astronomical names, including the better known stars, the constellations, the planets, and their satellites, and features on celestial bodies, such as craters on the moon. The author is a linquist, not an astronomer, and the book is for the generalist. No pronunciation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This work explains the origins of the familiar and the unfamiliar in everyday speech and literature, including the colloquial and the proverbial. It embraces archaeology, history, religion, the arts, science, mythology and characters from fiction.

A brand-new 'Brewer's' dedicated to the 'phrase and fable' of the emerald isle.

Completely updated for the twenty-first century, this reference presents definitions and origins of thousands of words, idioms, catchphrases, slogans, nicknames, and events from TV, literature, music, comic strips, and computer games.

This collection of more than 5,000 from Oppenheimer's "I am become death, destroyer of worlds" at the explosion of the first atom bomb to the sahrp wit of Winston Churchill and the romance of the great poets. Indespensible for writers and facinating to browse, Brewer's Famous Quotations can settle any argument about who said what when.

A browsable and addictive collection of pen-portraits of 1500 extraordinary characters from British and Irish history