The Dictionary of Clichés: A Word Lover's Guide to 4,000 Overused Phrases and Almost-Pleasing Platitudes

A very very impressive book! Fun reading it!Amazing research! A book collectors pride possession!

This is a collection of cliches, many old ones from the 19th century that are still in use. There are some modern ones like 'twenty-four /seven' used since the mid 1990s. David Baldacci used it in 2004 in 'Hour Game' ('I've got twenty-four/seven protection'); 'What part of "no" don't you understand?', from Laurie Morgan's song in the late 1990s. One may find the explanations to some of the cliches we hear but do not know the origin of the phrase. I was fascinated to know that 'Opening Gambit' was originally used (as a cliche) only as 'Gambit' in the 1800s, and 'opening' was added only decades later. In the age of Google, I doubt that you will need to have a book like this to take up space in your library.

I use this for a weekly contribution to a community newsletter for education, amusement and diversion

Excellent histories of when and how these Cliches came about. Some have been around for centuries.

受験英語では、It’s raining cats and dogs.とかIt’s Greek to me.などという語句を必死で覚えたものである。しかし英米人との会話でこのような語句を使うと戸惑った顔をされることが多い。これら語句は余りに陳腐すぎて普段の日常会話で使うことがあまりないからである。それを日本人が使うと余計に違和感を感じるのであろう。一方It’s nice to meet you.はよく使うにもかかわらず陳腐な決まり文句という受け取り方はされていない。イディオム的な要素がないからであろうか。いずれにしてもよく使われる語句とclicheの区別は難しい。その区別はネイティブスピーカーに任せるより方法はないだろう。clichéと呼ばれる語句はその意味内容は知っておく必要があるが、発信に際しては注意が必要である。さて本書はそのclichéを約4000集めて、由来の説明、用法の移り変わりを説明したものである。このような内容豊富な書が僅か2161円で手に入るとは驚きである。比較の意味を込めて、cliché辞典の元祖というべきPartridge のDictionary of Clichésと共に手元に置きたい辞書である。

Christine Ammer relates the definition of each cliche directly and incisively. The cliches are not treated blandly or decribed in a circumvent fashion, but the meanings are reported objectively, as the facts allow. The book is greatly helped by the Alphebetical index which provides the letter of the key word, or the letter of the most intuitive word of each cliche. The dictionary of cliches is interesting and fun at the same time.