A compendium of American proverbs, expressions, slang, colloquialisms; British-US glossary; abbreviations and acronyms and other various odds and ends. Widely used by non-native speakers and translators.

The American English Compendium is a fun way to explore the nuances of the English language—learn that a group of lions is called a pride; a group of whales, a pod; and a group of owls, a parliament. Distinguish between a quack and a shyster. Learn that “tabling a motion” in a U.S. court has an opposite meaning from the same term in England. This book picks up where other language dictionaries leave off: it includes common proverbs, a sampling of American English versus British English, popular American expressions and slang, acronyms, and varied information on everything from wildlife to currency. In this new edition, the staples have been updated and fresh chapters have been added, with information on pronunciation, oddball English words, and even some of the new Internet terminology, including Twitterspeak.

Compiled from over 10,00 published puzzles, this handy reference offers all the words you need to solve your puzzles and none of the ones you don’t. Finally, a crossword dictionary with all the words solvers need—and none of the ones they don’t! When it comes to puzzle dictionaries, it’s the quality of what’s inside that counts. Who needs a plethora of synonyms that never appear in an actual crossword? So, authors Kevin McCann and Mark Diehl analyzed thousands of crosswords to amass an up-to-date list of words that regularly turn up in today’s top puzzles. To make the dictionary even easier to use, the most popular answers stand out in easy-to-see red, while charts highlight frequently sought-after information such as Oscar winners and Popes’ names. Crossword fans will keep this right next to their favorite puzzles!

Now the very best crossword dictionary around--with all the words solvers need, but none of the ones they don't--is available in a concise version, without appendices! Kevin McCann and Mark Diehl analyzed thousands of crosswords to amass an up-to-date list of words that regularly turn up in today's top puzzles--with the most popular ones bolded and underlined. Crossword fans will keep this right next to their favorite puzzles!

More than just a reference book, containing five dictionaries in one, this Compendium tells the story of American English in an enlightening and entertaining way. It will help you gain a whole new perspective on and a much deeper understanding of the most popular language in today's world. What are the most common American expressions? What's the difference between "tabling a motion" in the U.S. and in the U.K.? Can you distinguish between a tortilla and a tostada? If someone calls you a "Philadelphia lawyer," should you take it as a compliment? These are but a few examples of what this Compendium helps you figure out. Picking up where the common dictionaries leave off, it provides a quick reference to the American language.

The Fifth Edition of Longman Dictionary of American English is the key to vocabulary building! Now with the full contents online, plus online Thesaurus and Vocabulary Checker. Clear and comprehensive 109,000 words, meanings and phrases, including words from the Academic Word List 59,000 example sentences, showing thousands of academic words and collocations Clear definitions written using the Longman American Defining Vocabulary of just 2,000 common words Words for content areas such as Science and Social Studies The key to vocabulary building Collocation boxes show combination of words that are often used together, such as strong interest, highly successful, and take a test Integrated Thesaurus explains thousands of synonyms and antonyms 3,000 etymologies explain the origin of words -15,000 etymologies online Learner's Handbook on Writing, Collocations and Grammar Workbook exercises for self-study and classroom use Entire contents online Pronunciation of all the words and example sentences, and pronunciation practice Longman Vocabulary Checker: find out which type of vocabulary is used in the text you are reading and which words you should learn Thesaurus: choose the right word and build your vocabulary Topic Vocabulary: find all the words you need to write about common topics such as Describing Places, Technology, Sports and Relationships Academic Study Center with interactive exercises for vocabulary, reading and writing, and exam practice for TOEFL