Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms
John Ayto
Oxford University Press
The volume takes a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that 
make English the rich and intriguing language that it is. This major new
 edition contains entries for over 6,000 idioms, including 700 entirely 
new entries, based on Oxford's language monitoring and the ongoing third
 edition of the&nbsp;Oxford English Dictionary. These include a range of 
recently established idioms such as 'the elephant in the corner', 'go 
figure', 'like a rat up a drainpipe', 'sex on legs', 'step up to the 
plate', 'too posh to push', 'a walk in the park', 'win ugly'. This 
edition also features a greatly increased number of cross-references, 
making it ideal for quick reference.&nbsp;Many entries include additional 
features which give more detailed background on the idiom in question. 
For example, did you know that 'taken aback' was adopted from nautical 
terminology that described a ship unable to move forward because of a 
strong headwind pressing its sails back against the mast?&nbsp;Anyone 
interested in the colourful side of the English language will get hours 
of fun browsing from this fascinating and informative volume.