Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts

320 Pages·2011·1.93 MB·English

by  Richard Spears

Common
American
Phrases
in Everyday Contexts
A Detailed Guide to
Real-Life Conversation
and Small Talk
Third Edition
RICHARD A. SPEARS, Ph.D.
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Contents
About This Dictionary v
Guide to the Use of the Dictionary vii
Terms and Symbols ix
Dictionary of Common American Phrases 1
Key Word Index 241
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About This Dictionary
This dictionary is a collection of more than 2,100 everyday sentences
and utterances that Americans use over and over in their greetings,
good-byes, and everyday small talk. The third edition has been enlarged
and updated to include the latest contemporary, high-frequency con-
versational idioms. Whereas it is true that there is an infinite number
of possible sentences in any language, it is also true that some of those
sentences are used repeatedly from day to day. The effective use of
language is not in being able to create and understand an infinite
number of sentences but in knowing and using the right sentence in
the right way in a given context. Nonnative speakers of English have
found the first two editions extremely useful for unraveling the short-
ened sentences and sentence fragments that they hear in personal
encounters, both formal and informal.
The kinds of expressions recorded in this collection include com-
plete sentences as well as sentence fragments and phrases. In many
instances, fragments are punctuated as complete sentences (initial
capital letter and terminal punctuation) because such utterances can
stand alone just like complete sentences. Phrases and fragments that
are always included or imbedded in other sentences do not have initial
and terminal punctuation. The utterances here are presented without
profanity, swearing, or slang unless the latter is a necessary part of the
utterance. Depending, on age, class, context, and personal choice,
actual use of these entries may be replete with profanity, swearing, and
slang.
The style of the typical entry and the examples is highly collo-
quial. Many of the examples express joking, anger, and sarcasm. In
general, this is not the type of language that one would choose to
write, unless one were writing dialogue for a script. It is the type of
language that one hears every day and needs to understand, however.
This collection is not only a dictionary but also a resource for
the learning of these expressions. The user is encouraged not only to
use the dictionary as a reference book but also to read it from cover
to cover. An index of key words is included that allows the user to find
the full form of a phrase by looking up any major word in the phrase.
v
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Guide to the Use of
the Dictionary
1. Entry heads are alphabetized word by word.
2. Entry heads appear in boldface type. Cited entry heads appear in
this type.
3. An entry head may have one or more alternative forms. The alter-
natives are printed in boldface type and are preceded by “and.”
Alternative forms are separated by semicolons.
4. Definitions and descriptions are in roman type. Alternative or
closely related definitions and paraphrases are separated by semi-
colons.
5. A definition or paraphrase may be followed by comments in
parentheses. These comments give additional information about
the expression, including cautions, notes on origins, or cross-
referencing. Each numbered sense can have its own comments.
6. Many expressions have more than one major sense or meaning.
These meanings are numbered with boldface numerals.
7. Sometimes a numbered sense will have an additional alternative
form that does not belong to the other senses. In such cases the
and and the alternative form follow the numeral.
8. The definitions of some entries are preceded by information in
square brackets. The information provides a context that narrows
down the scope of the definition. E.g., [of truth] undeniable.
9. The first step in finding an expression is to try looking it up in
the dictionary. Entries that consist of two or more words are
entered in their normal order, such as Act your age! Phrases are
never inverted or reordered like age! Act your.
10. The alphabetizing ignores a, an, and the at the beginning of an
entry head. Look for expressions beginning with a, an, and the
under the second word.
vii
Guide to the Use of the Dictionary
11. If you do not find the expression you want, or if you cannot
decide what the form of the expression you seek is, look up any
major word in the expression in the Key Word Index, which begins
on page 241. Pick out the expression you want and look it up in
the dictionary.
viii
Terms and Symbols
(cid:2) (a box) marks the beginning of an example.
and indicates that an entry head has one or more variant forms that
are the same or similar in meaning as the entry head.
catchphrase describes an expression meant to catch attention because
of its cleverness or aptness.
cliché an expression that is overused and sounds trite.
compare to means to consult the entry indicated and look for simi-
larities to the entry head containing the “compare to” instruction.
entry head is the first word or phrase, in boldface, of an entry; the
word or phrase that the definition explains.
go to means to turn to the entry indicated.
see also means to consult the entry indicated for additional informa-
tion or for expressions that are similar in form or meaning to the
entry head containing the “see also” instruction.
ix