The English language contains a great store of idioms that can be used in creative and forceful ways and throughout history, events great and small have left their mark on the way we speak. Columbus's discovery of America introduced to Europe new food stuffs such as chilli and chocolate - and the words that described them. The Dictionary Boxset links hundreds of words with the historical upheavals and minor social changes which gave them life, and gives explanation and meaning to the thousands of idioms we use in everyday conversations and which seem to be completely illogical. And if you have ever noticed that 'out of sight, out of mind' and 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' can't both be true, this box set will solve your perplexity, tracing the origins of over 400 of these invaluable pieces of wisdom. The result is essential reading for anyone who delights in words.