Dictionary of Catch Phrases

Perhaps most readers don't think of a "Dictionary" as a page turner, but this volume should come w/ a warning: if you open this during some sort of serious scholarly pursuit, you WILL be distracted. As an editor, Paul Bell has picked up not merely where Eric Partridge left off, but w/ the same lively tone that Partridge is famous for. Eric Partridge must surely have been the most delightful of dinner guests, w/ stories and quotes to astonish and delight for hours. This book fills something of the same purpose. It has voice! Even if you have Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional Usage (a book you cannot put down after looking up just one thing!) this is a fine addition to any library. "Slang etc." has many of these catchphrases, but in this volume, given separately, it's easier to chase down some link or thought or phrase. As ever, Partridge's Dictionaries are scrupulous about dating their entries and citing the source. That this lists both British and American together also differentiates it from the "Dictionary of Slang." This book should be a must-have reference book for any writer, if only to remind you of the swath and vivacity of expression. And, it's a wonderful tool for procrastination.

Typical Partridge : many translations of filmscripts into Spanish, TV soaps, etc, would have been better if they had consulted this one. Americans might find treatment of US catch phrases, or even their definition, irritating, as the basic point of view is British, albeit open-minded.