The second edition of this collection of traditional metaphors includes over 1500 new entries, as well as more information on first known usages and more ways to find entries. It should appeal to cultural historians, dialectologists, folklorists and language enthusiasts alike. Metaphors are taken to include a variety of figurative meanings such as similes, proverbs, idioms, slang and catchphrases, though literary metaphors are avoided. The author draws particularly on his extensive contact with the rural cultures of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Dorset and Cornwall. Expressions from Scotland, North...

This absorbing collection of metaphors includes a variety of expressions with figurative meanings, like similes, proverbs, slang and catchphrases. It is the result of a lifetime of work on dialect and metaphor and gives an overview of the folk wisdom expressed in figurative expressions. The author draws on his extensive contact with the rural cultures of Dorset, Cornwall, Yorkshire and Lancashire, but has also included a range of sayings from North America, Australia, Scotland and other English speaking countries.

With revised contents and an improved index to make...