By Kofi Acquah-Dadzi, Gabriel G. Adeleye
Edited by Thomas J. Sienkewicz, James McDonough, Jr.

Description

The World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions is an excellent resource for those who encounter the foreign words and phrases that permeate spoken and written English and seek a fuller understanding of them. It contains abbreviations, single words, and phrases from a wealth of languages including: Afrikaans, Arabic, Aramaic, Chinese, Dutch, French, Greek, German, Italian, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Inuit, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Portuguese, Provençal, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Turkish, and Yiddish.

No other resource available contains such a wealth of expressions or such detailed explication from such a wide variety of ancient and modern languages.

Special Features

• Identification of the language of origin and a polished translation for each expression
• Literal word-by-word explication of each entry
• Models for proper usage through quotations from recent scholarship or journalism
• Easy-to-follow format that's gentle on the eyes

Comments and Reviews

. . . World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions: A Resource for Readers and Writers, is superlative—a wordsmith's and linguist's cornucopia. The copious history of the lineage and ascension of Homo sapiens through language is the book's implicit charm. As regards this tome, the bounty of Roman law (Rome's greatest bequeathal to posterity) printed in pristine Latin and translated into English is ambrosia for the aspirant Latinist and polymath.

To utilize an extract from your opus: non sum qualis eram, I am forever changed. A good 75 percent of the text being Latin, mostly legal phrases, I've taken this vade mecum as my textbook. I've learned from your dictionary that I have epistemophilia by route of verbomania. The layout and editing are superb. The book's target audience will most certainly lionize this masterwork, this nonpareil. I can think it destitute of only one thing—that it cannot be appreciated by the masses. World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions is a must-have book for those enlightened enough to appreciate it. Within my personal library of nearly 1000 books it ranks within the top eight. I thank you for a marvelous, didactic vacation by grace of language. Ne plus ultra!

— Steve E. Heinsz
February 17, 2005

The authors offer a good one-stop guide to non-English expressions that occur in English contexts, mostly from Latin but also from French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, and several other languages. Every entry is translated literally, word for word, followed by an idiomatic definition, and often also by a sentence that uses the word or phrase illustratively (although these are sometimes less than informative—e.g., “The a baculo argument was unsuccessful”). This book amalgamates two earlier, unpublished efforts, one tentatively titled A Dictionary of Latin Expressions for Lawyers and Men of Letters, the other An English Dictionary of Foreign Expressions for Lawyers, Scholars, Journalists, Etc., whose titles give a good idea of the scope of the present publication. Of the thousands of words and phrases here, a few have migrated so thoroughly into English (e.g., "drama," "marijuana," "matador," "dogma," "toga") that they scarcely require inclusion. For the most part, however, the phrases (e.g., droit d' aubaine, in jure, non remota causa sed proxima spectator) are likely to need explication for most readers who lack knowledge of foreign languages. General and academic collections.

— W. Miller
Florida Atlantic University
Choice, May 2000

Busy professionals who need accurate information quickly will get exactly what they require from World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions. Leisurely word-lovers will be instructed and entertained. In short: this is a marvelous reference tool.

— Aaron Baker, PhD, JD
(from the Foreword)

Nothing else like this around . . . The research and presentation are of the highest quality, informative and enthusiastic.

— The Book Reader
Fall/Winter 1999/2000

There is more scholarship and just plain useful information in World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions than in any comparable publication I know of. My copy is fated to become dog-eared in no time at all.

— William Murchison, Nationally Syndicated Columnist
Creators Syndicate, Inc.

There isn’t a page of the 411-page opus . . . that doesn’t boast at least one foreign word most Americans would know – from the French word abandon to the German word Zither.

— Burt Constable, Columnist
The Daily Herald
October 26, 1999

. . . an invaluable tool for professionals who wish to write accurately . . . It is, at once, an impressive work of scholarship and an unmatched source of fun!

— Margaret Richek
Northeastern Illinois University
1999

Rarely have I seen anything that is such a must-have for writers.

— Alex Krislov
Compuserve Online Services

. . . a quick scan provides intriguing expressions in languages from Sanskrit to Yiddish. Not too quick, though, since almost every entry invites contemplation.

— Neil Steinberg, Columnist
Chicago Sun-Times
November 2, 1999

. . . recommended for all public and academic libraries . . .

— Cynthia A. Johnson
Barnard College Library
New York Library Journal
July, 1999