Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable by John Ayto
It's totally revised, completely updated for the 21st century, and better than ever--featuring more than 8,000 of the most contemporary words, idioms, catchphrases, slogans, names, nicknames, "named" events, and book, film, and TV titles. And they're all defined and fully explained in lively style. From "bootylicious" to "Hogwarts," it focuses on the riches of the modern verbal imagination, and follows the time-honored" Brewer's "tradition of telling fascinating stories about the derivation and origins of each. The new editing team of John Ayto and Ian Crofton have polished the entire existing text and added some 1,000 new articles covering the cultural spectrum from literature to music, comic strips to computer games.