Synopses & Reviews
From American Express to American Psycho, Dadaism to Durex, the Zapata moustache to the Zinoviev letter, take an up-to-date look at the diverse and entertaining linguistic landscape of our culture. Here, deftly defined and intriguingly displayed, are thousands of words, phrases, slogans, names, events, and titles of songs, books, films, and TV programs that resonate with English-speaking people everywhere. In addition to many unusual gems, you'll find fascinating lists, focused on such varied subjects as rock group monikers, operations code names of World War II, nicknames of famous sportspeople, and some of the most celebrated advertising slogans of the past century.
Review
"Brewer's has kept ahead of the game by compiling this marvelous compendium....It has captured the flavor of the past 100 years." The Times
Review
"The entries, whether brief citations or longer discussions boasting colorful details and lucid text, are distinguished by unparalleled research. Illustrative quotations and thousands of biographies are also included." Library Journal
Review
"In spite of its British slant and its somewhat erratic selectivity, this entertaining compendium serves as a valuable record of twentieth-century words, expressions, and cultural allusions." Booklist
About the Author
Adrian Room, the editor of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, is one of Britain's most experienced compilers of reference books. He is the author of more than 50 popular reference books, mainly on the origins of words, and, in particular, names. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a member of the English Place-Name Society and American Name Society.