The perfect tool for writers who seek to eliminate stale, trite language. The entries in this reference are conveniently arranged to allow writers to quickly find the offending phrase and a sharp alternative.

From “all systems go” to “senior moment”—a comprehensive reference to idiomatic English. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms explores the meanings and origins of idioms that may not make literal sense but play an important role in the language—including phrasal verbs such as kick back, proverbs such as too many cooks spoil the broth, interjections such as tough beans, and figures of speech such as elephant in the room. With extensive revisions that reflect new historical scholarship and changes in the English language, this second edition defines over 10,000 idiomatic expressions in greater detail than any other dictionary available today—a remarkable reference for those studying the English language, or anyone who enjoys learning its many wonderful quirks and expressions. “Invaluable as a teaching tool.” —School Library Journal

This portable guide features over 200,000 synonyms and antonyms in a quick-reference A-to-Z format of over 25,000 entries, including clearly labeled slang, informal, technical, and literary terms. Also features panels to compare and contrast words with similar meanings, "Word bank" panels with lists for selected topics, and a "Test Your Wordpower" section enabling users to assess their vocabulary range and verbal speed. Martin's Press. (July)

Get ready to "hit a homerun" with strategies and suggestions that will "knock your socks off" including how to introduce idioms and incorporate them into your language and writing instruction. The idioms and expressions are provided in context with stories and activities to teach usage and definitions and include hyperboles, metaphors, similes, and personification. Based on Dr. Timothy Rasinski's research, the idioms are grouped by themes for ease in teaching and learning. Includes a Teacher Resource CD. This resource is correlated to the Common Core State Standards and is aligned to the interdisciplinary themes from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 96pp.

Idioms are expressions that cannot be understood from their individual words alone, and the English language is full of them—and so is this dictionary: 4,800+ English idioms and phrases with example sentences included for you so as to understand them all. This is the essential idioms dictionary if you want to talk like a native speaker—or just find out more about the colorful phrases you hear and say every day.