Number Idioms: Hole in One!
introduces more than 200 common phrases that contain numbers, phrases like
one of a kind, two peas in a pod, sixes and sevens, cloud nine,
and
one in a million.
Features.
The book's dictionary format makes it easy to use. Features include: - Carefully researched definitions.- Parts-of-Speech labels.- Explanations of phrases and their origins.- Two example sentences for each idiom illustrating its use.- Examples of many idioms used in real news headlines.- Exercises and crossword puzzles.The book is also a great reference dictionary for English learners and native English speakers.
Number Idioms.
The earliest writing systems were created not for words but numbers, so human thought has been focused on counting since we began recording it. It;s not surprising, then, that we have numerous colorful idioms, proverbs, and expressions that use numbers, expressing thoughts and feelings in counting. In fact the word
number
itself can be found in any number of idioms. This books looks at a number of them, one by one, and a zillion others. For example, if you
crunch numbers
, are you stepping on them? If someone is running
a one-man show
, why do we say the person
wears many hats
?
The Idioms.
This book's phrases were selected through a careful search of idiom and phrasal verb dictionaries, standard dictionaries, and online sources, with emphasis on language that is common in English today.
Definitions.
To ensure accuracy, this book's definitions and explanations were written after thorough research using numerous sources, among them: - The Oxford English Dictionary.- MerriamWebster.com.- The American Heritage Dictionary.- The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms (Ammer).- Webster's New World Dictionary.- Collins Cobuild Dictionary.- MacmillanDictionary.com.- Cambridge Learner's Dictionary.- Various idiom and phrasal verb dictionaries.
Examples.
Two example sentences for each idiom illustrate how phrases are commonly used, as determined with research into examples offered in dictionaries and authentic uses found in word banks. In addition, examples of idioms appearing in real news headlines are scattered throughout the book.
Idioms by Topic.
Idioms make the English language colorful and give us different ways to say things. But for English learners, they're a
pain in the neck
(an idiom that means "a lot of trouble"), because there are so many to learn. But learning idioms by topic helps solve the problem, since students will more quickly understand and internalize languages, and more-easily remember it later.Targets in English has developed numerous books that teach idioms by topic, such as sports idioms, money idioms, and food idioms.