The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions

Front Cover
Andrew Delahunty, Sheila Dignen, Penny Stock
Oxford University Press, 2005 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 472 pages
Allusions form a colourful extension to the English language, drawing on our collective knowledge of literature, mythology, and the Bible to give us a literary shorthand for describing people, places, and events. So a miser is a Scrooge, a strong man is a Samson or a Hercules, a beautifulwoman is a Venus or a modern-day Helen of Troy - we can suffer like Sisyphus, fail like Canute, or linger like the smile of the Cheshire Cat.This absorbing reference work explains the meanings of allusions in modern English, from Abaddon to Zorro, Tartarus to Tarzan, and Rubens to Rambo. Fascinating to browse through, the book is based on an extensive reading programme that has identified the most commonly-used allusions. Quotations areincluded in most entries to illustrate usage, from a range of authors and sources, from Thomas Hardy to Ben Elton, Charles Dickens to Bridget Jones's Diary.For this new second edition the most up-to-date allusions from Gollum to Kofi Annan have been added, and a handy A-Z order has been adopted for extra ease of reference.

Other editions - View all

The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions
Andrew Delahunty,Sheila Dignen,Penny Stock
No preview available - 2001
The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions
Andrew Delahunty,Sheila Dignen
No preview available - 2003

About the author (2005)

Andrew Delahunty is a freelance lexicographer and dictionary editor. His publications include the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture (1992), the Oxford Guide to English Usage (with Edmund Weiner, 1994), the Longman Business English Dictionary (2000), and the Oxford AdvancedLearner's Dictionary (6th edn, 2000).Sheila Dignen is a freelance lexicographer who has worked on the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture (1992), the Dorling Kindersley Illustrated Children's Dictionary (1994), the Chambers Junior Illustrated Dictionary (1997), and the Longman Business English Dictionary (2000). PennyStock is a freelance lexicographer. She has contributed to the Longman New Universal Dictionary (1982), the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture (1992), the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of English (1995), and the Encarta World English Dictionary (1999).

Bibliographic information

TitleThe Oxford Dictionary of Allusions
Oxford Paperbacks
Oxford paperback reference
EditorsAndrew Delahunty, Sheila Dignen, Penny Stock
Edition2, reprint, reissue, revised
PublisherOxford University Press, 2005
ISBN0198609191, 9780198609193
Length472 pages
Subjects › 

Language Arts & Disciplines / Reference
Reference / Dictionaries
  
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