An up-to-date collection of 3000 common English idioms. Each idiom in the dictionary is given a simple definition and an example sentence to show the context in which it is normally used. There are over 1000 cross-references

Priority. is given to Idioms in common use likely to cause difficulty to the foreign learner. There is, therefore, a preference for "opaque" idioms: these are expressions whose meanings cannot be established by adding together the meanings of the component parts. Examples are bite the dust, bend over backward, fly off the handle, face the music, toe the line, tongue in cheek, see red, see stars, throw in one's lot, etc.