Quotations
Phrase, Fable, and Allusion
Beyond Quotations
When we quote we are generally repeating the words of a particular person, often
to add force to our own argument. Quotations used like this, however, are only
part of a central stock of proverbs, phrases, and sayings, which together add
colour and vigour to our language, and which individually are packed with life
and meaning.
Cracking the code
Anyone who uses the English language knows that it can sometimes seem like a
mass of references to hidden meanings, and now Oxford has a book to help you
read the cultural shorthand used in books, newspapers, and on the airwaves.
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable is the book you need
to resolve those half-understood references:
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable answers these questions and many
more; along the way it also provides fascinating pieces of serendipity - the identity
of the famous soldier (Wellington) whose charger Copenhagen was the grandson
of the noted racehorse Eclipse (Eclipse first, the rest nowhere
as it was said), and the modern politician (Tony Blair) who chose Ivanhoe
for his desert island book on Desert Island Discs Who, What, Where, When?
Every day we take names from literature, mythology, popular culture, and the
Bible to describe peoples, places, and events. So a miser is a Scrooge,
a strong man is a Samson or a Hercules, a beautiful woman is a
modern-day Helen of Troy. The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions gives the stories behind the names for our most commonly-used allusions,
from Atalanta to Zorro, with usage illustrated by a wealth of
quotations from authors and sources ranging from Charles Dickens to Bridget
Jones's Diary
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