Cassell Dictionary of Catchphrases (Cassell Reference)

Cassell Dictionary of Catchphrases (Cassell Reference)

by NigelRees (Author)

Synopsis

Recent years have seen a resurgence in the popularity of the catchphrase with TV shows like The Simpsons and The Fast Show sending their phrases echoing round the streets and clubs in a way reminiscent of the 'golden age' of the show business catchphrase which may be said to have lasted from the 1930s to the 1960s. The new phrases researched by author Nigel Rees for this second edition of Cassell's Dictionary of Catchphrases (the first edition originally appeared in 1995) are drawn from a wide range of popular cultural sources. From advertising slogans to movie lines, from political sound-bites to popular songs, and from TV gameshows to TV comedies, they constitute a richly entertaining reflection of the linguistic and cultural developments of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Among the scores of new phrases included in the book are: 'all done up like a pox-doctor's clerk', 'are you there, Moriarty?', 'I'm not so green as I'm cabbage looking', 'it does exactly what it says on the tin', 'location, location, location', 'lorra lorra laffs', 'not a happy bunny', 'suits you, sir!', 'which was nice' and - last but not least - 'does my bum look big in this?'

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Edition: 2nd ed
Publisher: W&N
Published: 14 Apr 2005

ISBN 10: 0304366854
ISBN 13: 9780304366859
Book Overview: A brand-new, fully revised and updated edition of a perennial reference favourite. Explains the meanings and origins of more than 1200 popular expressions, both traditional and modern. Author is an acknowledged expert on the etymologies of popular phrases. Includes extensive coverage of media catchphrases from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The ideal gift for word buffs.

Author Bio
Nigel Rees is the deviser and presenter of BBC Radio's Quote ... Unquote, through which he has become an authority on the popular use of language in slogans, catchphrases, cliches, idioms and quotations.