All languages have phrases that cannot be understood literally and, therefore, cannot be used withconfidence. They are opaque or unpredictablebecause they don’t have expected, literal meaning.Even if you know the meaning of all the words ina phrase and understand all the grammar of thephrase completely, the meaning of the phrase maystill be confusing. A phrase or sentence of thistype is said to be idiomatic. This dictionary is acollection of the idiomatic phrases and sentencesthat occur frequently in American English. Manyof them occur in some fashion in other varietiesof English also.Many overlapping terms have been used todescribe the idiomatic phrases included here: verbal collocations, idioms, idiomatic expressions,clichés, proverbs, set phrases, fixed phrases,phrasal verbs, common phrases, prepositionalverbs, and phrasal/prepositional verbs. They alloffer the same kinds of problems to the speakerand writer of English. They are unclear becausethe meaning of the phrase is not literal or predictable. Phrasal verbs, also called two-word verbs,are idiomatic expressions because the second element of the verb (the adverb or preposition) isnot necessarily predictable. For instance, why theword up in call up a friend? Why not say call on afriend or call in a friend? Actually, those are threeseparate, unpredictable combinations, and theyeach mean something completely different. Forexample, you can call up a friend on the telephone,call on a friend to have a visit, and call in a friendto come and help you with something.Although there are some entries that are verycasual or informal English, slang and idiomsshould not be confused. Some slang is alsoidiomatic, and some idioms are also slang, butgenerally they refer to different aspects of language. There are a few slang terms in this dictionary, because they are also fairly commonlyknown idioms.GOALS OF THE DICTIONARYA major goal of this dictionary is to make certainthat each definition of a phrase illustrates themeaning of the phrase and matches it in syntax.The major exceptions are definitions that beginwith “a phrase” or “an expression.” Similarly, theexamples for each sense must match the definition in meaning and syntax. The best use of theentries is to study the entry head, definition, andexample carefully. Look for the meaning that iscommon to all three. If the diligent user can seethe elements of meaning shared by the entryphrase, the definition, and the example(s), thedictionary entry has done its task well.A second goal is to provide the learner withenough information about the many forms thatan idiom might take to allow the user to recognize it in a variety of contexts and to be able touse it in speech and writing.A third goal is to make the details accessibleto the learner. Idiomatic expressions and theirvariants are complex and unpredictable. There aremany synonyms and near synonyms. Generalcross-referencing in the body of the dictionarywill help users find synonymous phrases. ThePhrase-Finder Index provides a powerful tool forlocating entry forms embedded in other entriesand partially remembered phrases. The form ofthe entry is quite straightforward, consisting ofentry, definition, comments (if any), and examples. Senses are numbered and may include variants in addition to those found in the entry head.A minimum of abbreviations and symbols areused, and these are explained in the section“Terms and Symbols.” The user who understandsthe meaning of entry head, variable, and wildcard term is equipped to understand everythingthat follows.