Understand American English better by mastering its idioms This authoritative reference offers thousands of American English idioms, common phrases, and colloquialisms. Entries include definitions and examples of idioms used in context. With help from McGraw-Hill's Essential American Idioms Dictionary , you will become familiar with English as it is used in the media, at work, around the house, and in everyday conversations. This knowledge will help you comprehend English as it is spoken in the United States and add variety to your word usage. Inside you will find: 2,000 entries with examples of everyday usage - The latest idioms used in the American lexicon - Fun illustrations that show the humor of taking expressions too literally Richard A. Spears, Ph.D. is a former reference editor and linguistics Professor at Northwestern University, who has written more than 150 dictionaries. He has a particular expertise in phrasal dictionaries. Richard A. Spears, Ph.D. is a former reference editor and linguistics Professor at Northwestern University, who has written more than 150 dictionaries. He has a particular expertise in phrasal dictionaries.