We all know what the words cat and dog and mother and tree mean. What we really need is a dictionary that helps us with the tough words, like elucubrate, or demesne, or cynosure. True, a standard dictionary can bail us out when we run across a tough word at home or in a library. But we often read elsewhere--in a doctor's waiting room or on a plane, or while on vacation. What do we do then? The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words is designed to meet this need.
The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English for Babylon
A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English is a dictionary of slang originally compiled by the noted lexicographer of the English language, Eric Partridge. The first edition was published in 1937 and seven editions were eventually published by Partridge. An eighth edition was published in 1984, after Partridge's death, by editor Paul Beale; in 1990 Beale published an abridged version, Partridge's Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English.
This dictionary will help you to find the word on the tip of your tongue. Unlike you a thesaurus, where you look up alternatives to a word you know, or a dictionary which defines a word you are already familiar with, The Oxford Reverse Dictionary will help you to find words you do know, or are vaguely aware of, but cannot bring to mind. There are 31,000 entries grouped under a wide range of key words. The words listed may be alternative words for the headword, or words that are related to that subject.
Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer is a Research and Dictionary Specialist with Ask Jeeves, the Internet question-answering service. She is the author of twenty-one books, including Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, 21st Century Spelling Dictionary, 21st Century Manual of Style (Dell/Laurel), The Order of Things (Random House), Dictionary of American Slang (with R. Chapman; HarperCollins), Sissons Word and Expression Locater (Prentice-Hall),
