McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Idioms Dictionary 4th Edition

Richard A. Spears, Ph.D., was a professor of linguistics at Northwestern University before he turned to editorial work. He has written more than 150 books and articles on various aspects of language. His main interest is in phrasal dictionaries and references designed for language learners.

Shape up your English with thousands of idioms

Whether you are a learner of English who is having difficulty understanding expressions in everyday speech or a native speaker who wants to expand your written or spoken range, you need a comprehensive reference for idioms, common phrases, and sayings of American English. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary shows you the ropes of English and helps you:

• Expand your English-speaking abilities with these 14,000-plus expressions, proverbs, and common sayings, listed alphabetically
• Use American idioms correctly by following the many helpful examples
• Easily find the right phrase by one of its key words

  Some examples of the colorful English language, as spoken by Americans:

  at peace relaxed and happy
  every trick in the book every deceptive method known
  Johnny-on-the-spot someone who is in the right place at the right time
  make a killing to have a great success, especially in making money
  nine-to-five job a job with normal daytime hours
  scream bloody murder to complain bitterly
  take a powder to leave; to leave town