''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', sometimes referred to simply as ''Brewer's'', is a

reference work A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

containing definitions and explanations of many famous

phrases In syntax and grammar, a phrase is a group of words or singular word acting as a grammatical unit. For instance, the English expression "the very happy squirrel" is a noun phrase which contains the adjective phrase "very happy". Phrases can consi ...

allusion Allusion is a figure of speech, in which an object or circumstance from unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly. It is left to the audience to make the direct connection. Where the connection is directly and explicitly stated (as ...

s, and figures, whether

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

mythical Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

. The "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" from 1895 is now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

, and Web-based versions are available online. The most recent version is the 20th edition, published in November 2018 by

Chambers Harrap Publishers Chambers is a reference publisher formerly based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which held the property rights of W. R. Chambers Publishers. History of Chambers Chambers was founded as W. & R. Chambers Publishers by the two brothers William Chambers o ...

History

Originally published in 1870 by the Reverend

E. Cobham Brewer Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (2 May 1810 in Norwich – 6 March 1897 in Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire), was a British lexicographer and the author of '' A Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar'', ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' ...

, it was aimed at the growing number of people who wanted to understand the origins of phrases and historical or literary allusions, but did not have a university education. The 'phrase' part of the title refers mainly to the explanation of various idioms and proverbs, while the "fable" part might more accurately be labelled "

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

" and ranges from classical

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

to relatively recent literature. On top of this, Brewer added notes on important historical figures and events, and other things which he thought would be of interest, such as

Roman numerals Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...

. Brewer's provides information often not included in more traditional dictionaries and encyclopaedias. A "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" of 1440 pages was published by the author in 1895, not long before he died. Since then, it has been continually republished; in revised and updated editions.

Editions

* 1st (1870): E. Cobham Brewer ** (Several times reprinted, mostly with no date) * "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" (1895): E. Cobham Brewer ** (Reprints: 1896, 1897, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, and others with no date) * 2nd (1953) * 3rd (1954) * 4th (1956) * 5th (1959) * 6th (1962) * 7th (1963) * 8th (1963) * 9th (1965): John Freeman * 10th (1968) * 11th "Centenary Edition" (1970), revised by Ivor H. Evans. * 14th (1989) * 15th (1995):

Adrian Room Adrian Richard West Room (27 September 1933, Melksham – 6 November 2010, Stamford, Lincolnshire)''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2002; accessed 20 May 2013. was a British toponymist and onomastician, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical So ...

. * 16th "Millenium Edition" (1999) : Adrian Room. * 17th (2005):

John Ayto John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. * 18th (2009):

Camilla Rockwood Camilla may refer to: People * Camilla (given name), including a list of people with the name ** Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), wife of King Charles III Places * Camilla, Georgia, a city in the United States * Camilla Castle, an alternative ...

. * 19th (2012):

Susie Dent Susie Dent (born 1964) is an English lexicographer, etymologist, and media personality. She has appeared in "Dictionary Corner" on the Channel 4 game show ''Countdown'' since 1992. She also appears on ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'', a post ...

. * 20th (2018):

''Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable''

This retitled and updated version, initially edited by

, was first published in 2000 (). A second edition (), edited by Ian Crofton and John Ayto, was published on 30 November 2010. While this title is based on the structure of ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', it contains entries from 1900 onwards and exists alongside its parent volume as a separate work.

Other special editions

A variety of spin-off editions has been published in the past, some straying quite far from the theme of 'phrase and fable', such as ''Brewer's Dictionary of Cinema'' (1997) and

William Donaldson Charles William Donaldson (4 January 1935 – 22 June 2005) was a British satirist, writer, playboy and, under the pseudonym of Henry Root, author of '' The Henry Root Letters''. Life and career Son of Charles Glen Donaldson (1904–1956) an ...

's A–Z of 'roguish Britons', ''

Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics ''Brewer's Rogues, Villains, & Eccentrics: An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages'' is a reference book first published by Brewer's in 2002, edited and compiled by William Donaldson. The book is an esoteric look at some of the wild character ...

'' (2002). ''Brewer's Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable'' was published in 2009 and ''

Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable ''Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable'' () was created by Jo O'Donoghue and Sean McMahon for the ''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'' series of books. It contains over five thousand entries regarding various subjects about Irelan ...

'' was reissued at the same time.

References

External links

Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
(Philadelphia: Henry Altemus Company, 1898) "New Edition, Revised, Corrected and Enlarged": searchable web-format at

Bartleby.com Bartleby.com was an electronic text archive, headquartered in Los Angeles (USA) and named for Herman Melville's story "Bartleby, the Scrivener". It was initiated with the name "Project Bartleby" in January 1993 as a collection of classic literatur ...

''Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable''
(New York: Harper and Brothers, 1953?) "Revised and Enlarged" edition: page scans at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...