Proverbs, which are traditional sayings often expressed in clever, witty and memorable language, are an important part of English. Many of them have been in existence for hundreds of years. They add interest and colour to English and a knowledge of them will enrich both the learner’s comprehension and use of the language.
This dictionary is more than a reference book; it is designed as a useful tool for the learning of English. It contains a selection of common proverbs, with explanations of their origins and alternative forms where appropriate, over 1000 example sentences, 13 passages showing the proverbs in context and 10 sets of questions, with answers, for self-testing.

- Preface
- Dintionary of Proverbs
- Proverbs in Context
- Exercises on Proverbs
- Index
- Answers

Betty Kirkpatrick has a long and distinguished career as editor, publisher and writer of English reference books. She was the editor of the Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary, the editor of Rogets Thesaurus and the compiler of the Oxford Paperback Thesaurus. Her Dictionary of Cliches, published by Bloomsbury, is also available in a US edition and a Japanese edition. A language consultant to the Encarta Dictionary and a consultant to Collins school dictionaries, she used to write a weekly language column for the Herald newspaper based in Glasgow.