Reviews (5)

extremely helpful dictionary
This is an extremely useful dictionary for an English as Second Language learner like me that has okay vocabulary and speaking ability but often doesn't know exactly how to express myself under some contexts.The dictionary cover mundane topics like "placing a telephone order for pizza", but I don't see that as drawbacks.Quite on the contrary, the book becomes so useful right because the topics and approriate expressions are very handy and can be applied everyday!

not really
i found this book honestly not very useful, i mean, the context, and the purpose of this book is not clear, if they were trying to teach us how to speak in some basic places, they had to teach by writing a vocabulary list for each situation, not sentences, you can't apply them everytime in a daily life, but some works, i'm okay with that,but generally i perefer a vocabulary builder for that,...

Good tool for increasing your spoken expressions!
I found this book very useful for someone who wants to increase his conversational skills in a short period. You can find lots of expressions organized by topic. It is helpful in the sense that there are words with which you were acquainted at some point, and this book serves to refresh your memory of some forgotten expressions. It's just like entering data to your brain. This book is not intended to entertain you; it is rather in the form of a dictionary, and reading a dictionary is no fun. But if your ultimate goal is to broaden your expressions, this book is an excellent tool. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. English as a Second Language    4. English language    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Idioms    7. Language    8. Reference    9. Spoken English    10. Terms and phrases    11. United States    12. American English    13. Dialectology    14. Dictionaries    15. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language   

Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Conversation and phrase books    3. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    4. English As A Second Language    5. English language    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    8. Language    9. Reference    10. Slang    11. United States    12. English    13. Idioms    14. Language teaching theory & methods   

Reviews (1)

A superb blend of humor and education
A superb blend of humor and education and enhanced with an accompany CD, Idioms For Aliens: A Grammar Revue Of Plays And Verse written by Ed Butts and illustrated by Michael Tonn is an anthology of short skits that center around concepts of English grammar. Comprised of a lighthearted and educational collection of scenes that can be read aloud or acted out in any setting, featuring snobbish proper nouns, pronouns with an identity crisis, Idioms For Aliens is ideal for use with ESOL curriculums for students of all ages and linguistic backgrounds. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    2. Elementary    3. Reference   

Reviews (1)

good book
It is a good book for thosewho would like to improve their spoken american english practically, within a very short time.butto get your goal a regular& constant practice is needed.
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Subjects:  1. Business Communication - General    2. Business English    3. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    4. English As A Second Language    5. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    6. Foreign Language Study    7. Language    8. Reference    9. Americanisms    10. Conversation and phrase books    11. Idioms    12. Textbooks for foreign speakers   

Reviews (6)

sheer enjoyment
the phonetic spellings help enormously, and i found myself sounding out familiar phrases from my childhood.a treasure of ethnic communication to be protected and savored

Sorry, but I didn't like it at all!
Sorry, but I didn't like it at all!

Learning Yiddish - You Need This Book!
As one learns a langauge, knowing what "not to say" can be as important as knowing what you can say. In addition to the "colourful" Yiddish it will show you, this book includes many perfectly acceptable words and phrases for many occasions or places in the life of a Jew. It includes a brief synopsis of Yiddish grammar as its final chapter. Its author's transliteration scheme is a bit unusual, but given this book's strengths, that's a minor flaw. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. General    3. Humor    4. Idioms    5. Slang    6. Spoken Yiddish    7. Terms and phrases    8. Yiddish    9. Yiddish language    10. American English    11. Dialectology    12. English    13. Humor / Topic / Adult    14. Humour   

Reviews (7)

Streetwise Spanish
This is a book that the market has been waiting a long time for!As a Spanish professor I think that one can only take so many text books before craving some real "street" Spanish.My students hear Spanish alot outside of class and they often have questions about Slang.This is a great book for learning new vocabulary and colloquial expressions, but also, with the CD, it is awesome to have the opportunity to listen to native speakers from different countries engaged in conversation with notes about the various accents you're hearing.I highly recommend this book to any of my high intermediate and above students.

At Last, a Book that Teaches Us the Spanish that Natives Really Speak!
As the owner of Toni Roman's LearningSpanishVideoReviews web site, I am more than happy to have this opportunity to post my review of this wonderful resource for learning to speak and understand everyday Spanish.
What a find!
I'm surprised more people haven't written a review of this book. In fact, I was reading a review of a similar book, "Street Spanish, Volume 1", and the reader who wrote the review stated that "Streetwise Spanish" is the best in this genre. I agree. I have been largely unimpressed with the Street Spanish series, which I have browsed through but never bought. I am proud to say I own a copy of "Streetwise Spanish". The editorial description posted here at Amazon is very thorough, describing all the features and instruction methods of this book, so I'll just add a brief commentary.
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Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. Dictionaries - General    3. English    4. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    5. Foreign Language Study    6. Language    7. Multi-Language Phrasebooks    8. Polyglot Phrasebooks    9. Slang    10. Spanish    11. Spanish language    12. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    13. Language learning: specific skills    14. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Features

• Unabridged

Reviews (4)

Very Good
It's a very good book.It teach you not only the words but it teach you how to use words. You can learn the correct grammar, the accent and most important the context.
Are you tired of speaking in childish English?!!
I would like thank Slangman David Burke for his wonderful books. Actually, this series helped me a lot to understand American culture and daily conversations , especially with its comical pictures.May be the main attracting feature of this book which also has differentiated it from other similar idiom books is its nice division of slangs into some daily topics with pictorial format.
This book is WAY COOL!
I recommend this book "BIG TIME"!! It's the most useful book I have found on American slang and idioms. I have spent a lot of money of other books to learn how Americans REALLY speak (what they teach us in school is not the real language). They are more like dictionaries, and use old terms that Americans don't use any more. David Burke, who calls himself "Slangman," has created a series of books that are really great for ESL students who are
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Subjects:  1. Audio - Language    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. English as a Second Language    4. Reference / Dictionaries    5. English language    6. General    7. Idioms    8. Problems, exercises, etc    9. Reference    10. Slang    11. United States   

Subjects:  1. Business    2. Business Communication - General    3. Business English    4. Dictionaries    5. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    6. English As A Second Language    7. English language    8. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    9. Foreign Language Study    10. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    11. Jargon    12. Language    13. Reference    14. Slang    15. Conversation and phrase books    16. Idioms    17. Textbooks for foreign speakers   

Features

• Unabridged

Reviews (1)

Great book 4 ESL students
This book really help me understand what is going on when I watch tv or something/It is fun to learn those vivid slang expressions! I plan to buy all the slangman's serial 'cos I think
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Subjects:  1. Audio Adult: Language    2. Reference / Dictionaries    3. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    4. English language    5. General    6. Idioms    7. Problems, exercises, etc    8. Reference    9. Slang    10. United States   

Reviews (12)

check out the on-line version for a more thourough lexican
You should already know most of the words in this book, but if you feel somebody you know is culturally illiterate and might benefit from these well know words send them one.I recommend the on-line version for some top notch entertainment.

Urban Style
I bought this for a friend so she can learn some 'slang' and she is loving it.Completely getting a kick out of it. I think this is a must have especially if you want to laugh and change up your vocab as well.

Very informative
Gives the word(s), definitions, and uses it(them) in a sentence.
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Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. General    3. Humor    4. Language (Specific Aspects)    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Reference    7. Urban Sociology    8. Dialectology    9. English    10. Humor / Topic / Adult    11. Humour    12. Reference works   

Reviews (5)

Somewhat useful
The book is mainly in a dictionary style. This means that related details are not grouped together by topic but alphabetized so the onus is on you to piece together an image or understanding as you read. The book contains no illustrations or pictures, either, of any of the fashions, uniforms, vehicles, or other items being described. I wouldn't use it as a primary resource, or even an introduction, but I *would* use it to quickly look up a specific word or phrase, or perhaps for writing dialogue.
Great series
Not just for writers, but historians, hobbyists, and anyone interested in the small details of life in other times. This volume, like the others in the series, includes chapters (with figures and illustrations) on food, clothing, family life, work, education, religion, leisure activities, social and political history, etc. Great for browsing, great for research. Well recommended.

A MUST HAVE
Even if your novel takes place in a time period just before or just after 1919-1945, chances are good that your characters and events will be or were affected by this era in American History.Being so well laid out andwritten with great wit and affection makes it a great read for anyoneinterested in nostalgia or for those looking to stir up and bring back somememories of their own. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Authorship    3. Dictionaries    4. English language    5. Glossaries, vocabularies, etc    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Historical fiction    8. Reference    9. Research    10. Slang    11. U.S. History - Early 20th Century    12. United States    13. United States - 20th Century   

Reviews (4)

Not the Best Hard to follow
You know those books that use too many of these. . .1888 (ci) [belg.] having to do with or related to: (types of) {relative to}. . .Kinda hard to follow with all that jargon.Simple phrases aren't in there.Index doesn't really organize the words or phrases well.It is almost written like a dictionary but not in alphabetical order.The book didn't focus on phrases as much as it did single words like "cannibal" and "catacomb" and so on.
Informative and fun
What a fun book!We often pull this one off the shelf when we use an expression and wonder where it comes from.It is a book that invites browsing, and is hard to close once you are into it.We've learned all sorts of great stuff from this book, and since language does not develop in a void, what we have gleaned from this book has led us to research and learning about other areas as well.

For trivia buffs, crossword addicts and etomologists everwhe
I came across this book at a local bookstore that had a selection of books for word lovers.I perused it while I drank my frappacino, and soon was convinced I had to take it home with me.It is the most intriguing book I have ever read.It is formatted like a dictionary, but for everyone who loves word origin and other trivia, you will come back to it time and again.It is an example of useless knowledge at its best.The history of the word "omelette" is absolutely fascinating, and the evolution in the pronunciation of "one" intrigues me.They still can't decide where "hobo" comes from.Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. English language    4. Etymology    5. Sale Adult - Reference    6. Terms and phrases    7. BG-REFERENCE - BG-REFERENCE    8. English    9. Historical & comparative linguistics    10. Reference / Curiosities & Wonders    11. Trivia & quiz question books    12. Sale Books   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (13)

The best book of American Slang available
I've been using Chapman's slang dictionary for years and I definitely couldn't do without it. It's comprehensive, contains sample sentences, and spans a wide area from black slang and youth slang to business, politics, computers, you name it. This book has almost never failed. By now, a lot of expressions and words can also be found in the best English dictionary around: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, with much more current examples of usage. But looking for words in Chapmans book also takes some getting used to, but once you've figured it out you're all set. For example: "to be in the driver's seat" cannot be found under "driver" or "seat", but under "in the ...", which is awkward. Although there's a cross-reference under "driver's seat" to "in the driver's seat", in a whole lot of other cases there's no such reference. And "All over the ballpark" is listed under "all over ...", not "ballpark". For this reason, you sometimes have to take each word of a longer expression and go on a wild goose chase to find the whole expression in the book. Yet, once you've gotten the hang of it, it's ok. Still, great dictionary of slang.
Ends: a definition
Ends: Money.
I doubt this dictionary
I have a "New Dictionary of American Slang" written by this author in 1986.I didn't like the book from day one, but at the time I couldn't find a different one. No example in the dictionary is from the author himself.This is something I don't like at all.Moreover, many words are not included in the dictionary.I'm now looking for a better slang dictionary definitely NOT BY THIS AUTHOR. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Dictionaries    3. Dictionaries - General    4. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    5. English Language Dictionaries    6. English language    7. General    8. Reference    9. Slang    10. United States    11. Word Lists    12. Reference / Word Lists   

Reviews (9)

Mierda!The Real Spanish You Were Never Taught in School
I have NOT received it yet so I cannot rate this item.I am still waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

4 Stars Not for Content but for Entertainment
I am not going to try to convince you that this book will teach you a lot of useful Spanish slang. As one reviewer pointed out a lot of the Spanish "cusswords" are so regional that much of the material may be useless. But if you study Spanish as much as I do there comes a time when you need a break from your studies and you simply want to be entertained. For learning Spanish entertainment I think the book is great. If you find this kind of stuff amusing I also recommend a set of tapescalledSpanish for Adults Only : A Complete Course in Sexual Slang.

A treasury of misinformation
Firstly, I would like to summarize my credentials for writing such a harsh review: I am a quasi-native speaker of Spanish, having learnt the language at the age of five and lived a total of more than twenty years in six different Spanish-speaking countries. Furthermore, I am a federally certified court interpreter for Spanish and have become acquainted with the speech patterns of all Spanish-speaking countries without exception.Read more

Subjects:  1. Conversation and phrase books    2. English    3. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    4. General    5. Humor    6. Obscene words    7. Slang    8. Spanish    9. Spanish language    10. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    11. Modern fiction   

Reviews (2)

Book of Spanish Idioms
Great book to have on hand where you have a ton of Spanish idioms in one location to review/study/learn.

What can red do for you?
As frequent Amazon reviewer Erugifog mentions in his list of Spanish reference books, there are a number of entrants in the field of Spanish-English idiom guides. He recommends Eugene Savaiano's "2001 Idioms/2001 Modismos" but also advises shopping around. I found that to be good advice.
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Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    2. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    3. Foreign Language Study    4. Grammar    5. Idioms    6. Spanish    7. Spanish Language    8. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction    9. Foreign Language Study / Spanish    10. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Reviews (1)

Outstanding !
It is a MUST for foreign people wanting to master the English language. It is very didactic, has a lot of practical examples, and it is organized according to topics (idioms for business, idioms for love, idioms to describe emotions, etc). There can be other books with more number of idioms, but they are not didactic. This one has the most important and common. You will not need more.Read more

Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. English Language (General)    4. English language    5. General    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Idioms    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Miscellaneous    11. Reference    12. United States    13. American English    14. Foreign Language Study / Miscellaneous    15. Historical & comparative linguistics    16. Literary & Linguistic Reference Works    17. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries - General    2. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    3. Italian    4. Italian Language    5. Reference    6. Spanish Language    7. Spanish: Adult Nonfiction   

Reviews (10)

Get the cassette
Play the cassette whenever possible for hundreds times, for example before bedtime and during sleeping.
101 American English Idioms: Understanding ...
This book it really helps a lot people like me that have English as a second language.
A great book for ESL children
This book includes 101 popular American English idioms along with an illustration for each that children will find amusing. Note that the illustrations are purely for amusement rather than providing visual explanations of the idiom. Some of the idioms are more popular than others but overall a good selection has been made. Each idiom is explained in detail and with example sentences and a larger context.
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Subjects:  1. Americanisms    2. Conversation and phrase books    3. Dictionaries - Idioms & Slang    4. English as a Second Language    5. English language    6. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    7. Foreign Language Study    8. Idioms    9. Language    10. Reference    11. Dialectology    12. English    13. Foreign Language Study / English as a Second Language    14. Literary & Linguistic Reference Works   

Reviews (3)

outstanding
waited a long time for this to come out, and well worth it..the book is a fantastic contribution to Cantonese language study.
I am impressed.
Before you purchase a copy just remember this is a dictionary for CANTONESE slang. Cantonese being one of the many Chinese dialogues, obviously not every Chinese speaks Cantonese.
Long overdue, but worth it.
When you see that an ex-CID officer wrote the intro and gave his nod of approval, you know you're in for a slang dictionary like few others--and this even includes such longtime favorites as Constantine's "Japanese Street Slang".Drawing from various diverse sources ranging from linguistic research papers to pornographic magazines, the authors have their bases covered.Even if you don't know Cantonese you'll find it's a very fun read what with such innocent sounding expressions as "ice fire" making you shake your head in disbelief when you read the definition.Students of Cantonese will like this one a lot: it has both the Yale transliteration (which it's indexed by) and Chinese characters so you'll be able to lend it to your Chinese friends too so they can learn how to express themselves more colorfully in English.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chinese    2. Foreign Language Study    3. General    4. Language    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Cantonese    7. Slang & jargon   

Subjects:  1. Blessing and cursing    2. Dictionaries    3. Encyclopedias    4. English language    5. General    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Obscene words    8. Reference    9. Slang    10. Historical & comparative linguistics