Rating: 
Summary: Without history
Review: American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms is certainly chock full of idioms. However, the origins or backgrounds are not included. Without an origin is is difficult to fully appreciate the meaning and context of any given idiom. I did not find the book particularly useful.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing collection of definitions and origins!
Review: Buy this book for a gift, but first buy a copy for yourself! I've found this book fascinating just to thumb through, and also a great reference for specific expressions I've looked up. The book contains many expressions you will not know, but also shows how some widely known expressions have had their original definitions altered through use and misuse over time. Kudos to Ammer for a reference book that is great fun!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Reference!
Review: Christine Ammer's Dictionary of Idioms is one of the best I've bought (I already have four). English is my second language and I have trouble keeping up with the innumerable idioms. So I use this reference almost every time I write. Better use that idiom correctly, right? Unlike others I've used the entries in Ammer's are arranged alphabetically. They're not categorized as 'idioms preceded by a preposition', 'noun idioms', etc. Such dictionaries are so tedious to use! And the fact that the book is over 700 pages long in a 9 x 7 inch format can only mean that it has a comprehensive line-up of idioms. It isn't complete as I've discovered, but it has a very good range. What's more it's cross referenced. If you remember only a keyword or two of the idiom you have in mind you can look up those words and check if the dictionary has entries for that idiom. For instance under the entry 'out' is listed probably a hundred idioms that has that preposition. As a bonus, Ammer has included for most entries a brief note on their origins. Contrary to some reviews if you need a dependable reference on idioms this book is worth buying. Though not perfect it's extremely easy to use, helpful and packed with what it's suppose to have--lots of idioms!
Rating:
Summary: Readable and practical
Review: I highly recommend everyone who needs to know and understand American English idioms and spoken phrases better and better to use this readable and practical book. You should not take seriously the reviews made by native American speakers into account, because it is their own language, so this book may appear to be too easy for them to learn anything new. But I would like to announce that what foreign learners need to know are in this excellent book!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointingly simplistic.
Review: I ordered this book for a friend but, after it arrived, found myself motoring off to the local bookstore for something more suitable. And to the post office to send this one back. A random sampling of references I found almost insultingly simplistic include: "as far as possible," "broad daylight," "goof off," "good night." This last is defined as "Expression of farewell used when parting at night or when going to sleep." Does any competent English-speaker need this phrase defined? And isn't this one of the first phrases non-English-speakers are taught in language class? Who, then, is this definition for? I could easily pull an equally ludicrous example from each of this book's 729 pages but these few should suffice to make the point. Of the reputed 10,000 idioms listed in this book, my guess is that perhaps no more than 1,000 are of any merit. And that's being generous. If you're looking for a stimulating, informative lexicon of interesting idioms, along with more detail on their origination, look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: unimpressive
Review: I rarely use this dictionary because I also own Cassell's Dictionary of Slang by Jonathon Green, which is decidedly superior. This Dictionary of Idioms at first seems a more scholarly approach to the subject, but soon falls short of expectations as its selection of words is relatively small and mostly consists of the most well known slang. For more unusual words, I have always had to refer elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect idiom resource!
Review: If you're looking for the ideal resource for idioms, this is it! Highly recommend!
Rating:
Summary: Strong on meanings, weak on histories
Review: Maybe it goes without saying, since this is officially a "dictionary," that the emphasis is on the *meanings* of idioms. Far more interesting, however, would be a book explaining the origins and historical uses of idioms--this is what I was hoping for when I bought this. Pages are many but the print is large--there's not as much here as AH wants you to think! The definitions are painfully elementary. If you're studying English as a second language, I'm sure this would be a big help. If you're seeking enlightenment, keep seeking!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Study Aid
Review: Really a wonderful reference. It goes to study with me every day now. Very clearly written and descriptive definitions including very good idiom history data. Some examples - I found more unexpected data on the idiom "by and large" here than in the biggest bulkiest dictionary in the courseroom. Also the idiomatic definition of "washed-out" was the best I've ever read. "Dead as a doornail" was another good one. This book is now indispensable to me. Bravo to the author! ARC, Simon
Rating: 
Summary: Quoting from reviews of my book
Review: Reviewers said: "An accessible, authoritative source" (Booklist); "a thorough collection of idioms, and hasn't shortchanged the stories behind the phrases" (Philadelphia Inquirer); "Tracking down the origins of our favorite pithy expressions, Ammer offers a short concise definition of each -- one that is often just the opposite of what the phrase appears to say" (Baton Rouge Advocate); "offers a jump start on new ways of talking; no more pushing up daisies, languagewise, when familiar chatter buys the farm" (Boston Magazine); "explains to the non-native English speaker the huge differences between 'go out,' 'go out for,' go out with,' go places, 'go public'" (Denver Post); and recommended by William Safire in GIFTS OF GAB FOR 1998 (NY Times Magazine)
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