Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

While I bought this little book as a review, it is neither exhaustive or expensive so I didn't expect much. Too my surprise, the scholastic series can help children and adults alike, being the latter, with a focused range of idioms and detailed explanations of their use.

I purchased this for a deaf sibling, who was having trouble understanding idioms. It never occurred to me that, not having actually "heard" them as a matter of course while growing up, they had no idea what certain things meant, until, one day, they came out and just started asking me to explain. Turns out they had been to embarrassed to ask what certain sayings meant, and had been either taking them literally, for fear of being considered stupid, or guessing on their own. I didn't think they were dumb. In fact, I felt dumb and insensitive myself for never having considered it. And we ain't young either. That's how long it took them to gather their courage to ask. Idioms are just "there". You don't even realize it, they flow by so quickly, and new ones are invented every day.My sibling was just clueless to the actual meaning of some conversations. They said that this book had been VERY helpful.This book would also be useful to someone who does not speak English as their first language (many deaf people do consider ASL their first language, so they are in the same boat). English, particularly American English, has many, many colorful, even beautiful idioms, but you just don't realize , until you stop to think about it, that you can have an entire conversation that is NOTHING but idioms. I use the freetranslation website frequently to communicate with overseas friends, and when I see my conversation in writing, I often realize I am creating an idiomatic message, and have to back up and state exactly what I mean. I can imagine it is a minefield for people trying to learn or understand English.

Good gift idea for anyone who likes idioms. Really all there is to it. Book includes a lot of different idioms, most of which I had never heard of before. Quality of the book is pretty good. For the price, would recommend.

I received this book in probably sixth grade, when I was 11, around 2000. I spent hours reading through all of the idioms and their origins and meanings and have used it since when I want to find a different way to say something.I also volunteer with and host exchange students and have taken to giving this book to many of them as a gift. It allows them to make sense of the things the people around them and in TV and movies say while enhancing their already excellent English.I've now given it to my own son, who is 9, and he's just as enthralled as I was.The book is bright, clear, organized, and never condescending. It's simple enough for kids but thorough enough for adults, and not too uncool for preteens and teens. I hope this book never goes out of print.

The book has a lot of interesting trivia reference, but surprisingly it's missing some idioms I thought were more common like "the gloves are off" or "a monkey on your back." My friend and I often stumble upon idioms and try to see if the book has them... and half of the time it doesn't. I wish I had a more complete idiom book, but this is a good start.

I really would LOVE to recommend this book for all of people who are learning English as a second language and hope to know English idioms. I am from Ukraine, but now I am staying in LA to learn English. I was looking for some books that could helps me to understand the meaning of idioms because sometimes it was too difficult for me to figure out what they mean. This book has more than 700 idioms with examples, meanings and origins. The origins help me to remember the idioms easier. After I read some, I finally understand why people use idioms in particular situations and I feel like I will never forget them. It may not really helpful for academic courses or daily conversation, but it is easy to read anytime and it is good for FUN! Unless I am older than twenty, this book is fun enough! And especially, this is cheaper than others. So, I'd like to say just buy and read. I am 99% sure that buying this book is going to be a good choice

My 14 yr old daughter was telling me a story the other day. My reply was, "Yeah, you don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water!" She had no idea what I was talking about. I mentioned a few other idioms, none of which she knew. I then realized I had failed as a parent in this department! I looked up books on idioms and found this book with really good reviews so I bought it. It has been so fun to have around the house and our other children refer to it often. My sister-in-law loved it so much I ordered her one too. Fun book to have just sitting on the coffee table. Highly recommend it.

This book is great. Very interesting on origin of where certain saying started. Great book for bathroom reading. Don't have to remember where you left off like a novel. You can just pick it up and Starr reading anywhere.