Oxford Dictionary

English grammar has changed a great deal since the beginning of the Twentieth Century, and it is a subject that can provide a complex minefield of uncertainties within the language. This accessible and comprehensive dictionary comes to the aid of both the general reader and the student or teacher, offering straightforward and immediate A-Z access to 1,000 grammatical terms and their meanings.

Allusions form a colourful extension to the English Language. They provide us with a literary shorthand for describing people, places, and events, and are drawn from a variety of sources. From classical mythology and the Bible come the Wooden Horse of Troy, Achilles, Jason leader of the Argonauts, and also Adam and Eve who feature under a variety of headings including Happiness, Innocence, Nakedness and Punishment. Folklore and legend, cinema, television, cartoons and children’s stories also yield popular allusions including Cinderella, James Bond, Mary Poppins; and under Criminals are Al Capone, Fagin and Arthur Daley.

Did you know that 'flavour of the month' originated in a marketing campaign in American ice-cream parlours in the 1940s, when a particular flavour would be specially promoted for a month at a time? And did you know that 'off the cuff' refers to the rather messy practice of writing impromptu notes on one's shirt cuff before speaking in public?