Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

by Marvin Terban

Overview

If you think idioms are a "tough nut to crack," pick up the revised SCHOLASTIC DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS. Fun new design and more than 700 common American phrases, sayings, and expressions.

Cat got your tongue? Penny for your thoughts? Come again? Every day, idioms bring color to our speech. Since they don't really mean what they say, idioms can stump even the native English-speaker. Marvin Terban makes understanding idioms "as easy as pie" with the revised SCHOLASTIC DICTIONARY OF IDIOMS. Explanations for, and origins of, more than 700 everyday American idioms, complete with kid-friendly sample sentences. The entries are amusing as well as educational. Alphabetical listing and cross-referencing index makes finding idioms a "piece of cake."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780439770835
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2006
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	159
Product dimensions:	8.48(w) x 6.18(h) x 0.62(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Marvin Terban is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than 30 books for children, most of them about the English language. Called a "master of wordplay" by the American Library Association's Booklist and "Mr. English for Kids" by the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, Marvin is truly an expert on teaching the art of language. For over 40 years, Marvin has taught English, Latin, Public Speaking, Theater, and other subjects at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

"Terban explains the meanings and origins (if known) of more than 600 idioms and proverbs in this intriguing book." (Booklist, March 15,1996)

"Reference tools may be a dime a dozen in this dog-eat-dog world, but here's a soup-to-nuts dictionary of colloquialisms that doesn't beat around the bush...an appealing browse as well as useful (and perhaps unique) resource for kids baffled by the intricacies of the English language." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July/August 1996)

"From 'ace up your sleeve' to 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks,' this introduction to idiomatic phrases, sayings, and expressions is clear and easy to use." (School Library Journal, May 1996)

From the Publisher

Humor and illustrations add spice to over 600 definitions and origins of common idiomatic phrases. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but this one's it's a barrel of monkeys. Ages 8-up. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

How many idioms do you know? Better yet, did you know that a phrase you often use may be an idiom? Do you know its origin? Some of these expressions go back thousands of years. This collection offers lots of amusement as a quick reference and for leisurely browsing. The phrases are listed alphabetically by their first word. Each entry contains a sentence using the idiom, followed by its meaning, and a brief dissertation on its origin. Where appropriate, the expression is cross-referenced to a similar one. Cartoon characters in the margins add a little zest, but the real flavor is found in the original text. Alphabetic and keyword indexes round out the volume.

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot