Dictionary Reviews

I may know the names of typical German dishes, but that doesn't help me decipher a menu when I'm visiting a restaurant in Germany. With a limited amount of time (and thus a finite opportunity to pig out on regional specialties), I wanted to make sure I was picking the best stuff to eat.

We took this slender tome with us on our last trip, and we were extremely glad we did. What's this dessert prepared with Muskatnuss? Ah, nutmeg! How do I ask for a hard-boiled egg at breakfast? (If you don't specify, I learned, you get it soft-boiled.) And so on.

We definitely had fewer surprises. And we able to order what we really wanted. The book also includes a section on regional specialties, so we knew enough to order Maultaschen when we had the opportunity to do so, not to mention an idea of what would arrive on the plate.

In addition to the Hungry Traveler Germany, I also have the Marling Menu-Master Germany (which appears to be out of print, alas). Both are very good, earning 5-stars unquestionably, though this book is a bit larger (and thus may be awkward to carry; it fits okay in a fanny pack). If I had to choose, I'd take the Marling book with me on a trip, because it's organized by restaurant menu sections, rather than alphabetically. It's also small enough to fit in a pocket.

This one, though, has little extras that make it worth reading all the way through. For example, it warns you not to try to bring back any meat products (which I should have read before trying to bring home Black Forest Ham), and suggests made-in-Germany food related specialties that won't bother Customs at all (ranging from Christmas gingerbread to cutlery and table linens).

It's a pleasure to browse through this guide.

It's just the thing to use to translate Deutsche Spezialitaten, the German-language version of Culinaria Germany, the lush, big food book that describes the delicious cuisine of Germany, region by region, or you can use it in a German supermarket to decipher labels. Plus, it's handy for translating German menus.

At 289 pages, it's a bit too thick to carry in a pocket, next to your body. Plus, it's a bit fragile, with its paper covers and perfect binding. So carry it in a purse, fanny pack, jacket- or cargo pocket.

I don't think anyone is safe from Tony Hendra's pen - I particularly enjoyed his definitions relating to Al Gore and George W. Bush. I can't believe the late night comics never figured out that the real definition for "internet" is a "young female intern." His definition of the "help menus" within Windows is a riot - something about the layers upon layers upon layers of menus that do absolutely NOTHING to actually "help" you. Bill Gates, are you listening?

So many of the terms caused me to just snicker - RAM, drop and drag, MP3, fat media... it goes on and on. I have to admit that since I've read this, hearing about "outsourcing" has taken on a whole new meaning.

This book is hilarious! Definition after rediculous definition of electronic age terms that you thought you had a grasp of. I pick it up and read a few passages when I need a laugh much in the same way as I grab a cup of coffee when I need a pick-me-up.

I found myself thinking up my own terms and was pleased to find out that I, too, could join a raving band of Gigawits. At Gigawit.com, humor aficionados like you & me can join the community and make our own submissions. Who knows, maybe this will be the way to achieve our 15 minutes of fame.

The Benford Lexicon, now in a new edition, is simply put, an absolutely essential work for anyone who wishes to understand Gilbert and Sullivan. By using this book, the shellac of years of tradition can be stripped off of performances, and the true wit and beauty of Gilbert, as reflected in the Music of Sulivan, can shine through. It also is quite helpful to the audience member in understanding some of the clever, although now not fully topical, references in these works. (Capt. Shaw, Army-Navy Stores, Knightsbridge, Camberwell a Bower, Peckham an Arcadian Vale... and so forth..)

This book is the first place I turn to with any language question in the wonderful world of Gilbert & Sullivan. Mr. Benford writes clearly and consisely, with a delightful (and occasionally wince-inducing) wit. Highly recommended.

This is a laugh-out-loud read.
We couldn't put in down and the lingo has captivated our dialog with our baby.
This is a must have for new parents, and will eliminate hours of frustration interacting with your baby once you master the approach.
My wife has ordered a dozen copies for future baby showers.

Having two children of my own, this was always recognizable and often hilarious. Not that you'll learn anything from this book, but it sure made listening to my kids' attempts at speech more humorous. A perfect gift for new moms and dads -- or anyone, really, who's ever had kids. Or knows kids.

This book cleared up a lot of lingering questions that I had, and does a good job of focussing on and clarifying troublesome topics. It's done in a way that allows for self-study, which is how I used it. One thing I liked about it is that it doesn't try to be cute and amusing like many language textbooks do in order to keep your attention, while often forgetting to include good information. Instead, Ollivier gets right down to the question at hand which is studying grammar and vocab, and the fact that she does it in a thorough and organized way is what kept me involved. She also does it almost entirely in French. The only reason why I might have taken off a star is that I would have liked to have more exercises with corrections, but I believe that most of the exercises are intended as homework assignments for class, and I made do. In short, if you're serious about learning French and aren't put off by explanations about grammar, then this is an excellent book.

Absolutely the best tool for studying French for students who already have some background. Detailed, comprehensive explanations followed by examples. This book made me fluent. Marvelous!

This useful little book explains everything from when to use can instead of may to the difference between lie and lay to when run-on and sentence fragments are okay. It's all written in a down to earth, clear, concise, and easy-to-remember manner. I read it through in a few hours and now I keep it at hand as a constant desk reference. I recommend it to everyone from students to English-as-second-language learners.

"The Elements of Style" which I have been using for years (and still use). Like "Elements" the GRAMMAR CRAMMER is only about 100 pages, but I find answers I don't get in "Elements", and the index is much better. The type size is larger also. For the price, it is well worth it.

This is a book to be regarded with awe. There is no work of scholarship that compares with it. It is testimony to what real expertise and work can acheive. I cannot imagine anyone doing a better job explianing the nuances of one of the most subtle verbal forms in language. This book is a treasure,

This is an indespensible book for all of those interested in the subtlties of Classical Greek. No other work of scholarship comes close. It is a reminder in these days of cheap cultural criticism what real scholarship looks like.

This is the book I used to learn beginning Greek grammar. This is an excellent program. Story makes learning Greek easy! He uses Memory Visualization i.e. goofy pictures to help you learn vocab and paradigms. It really worked well for the class I was in, and the silly pictures seemed to make Greek a little less daunting for the novice. Another nice thing about it is that you work through all of the verb paradigms and get down to words occuring 25 times. Now, I am teaching and tutoring Greek students using this book, and I'm finding it just as easy to teach from as it was to learn from. Truly an inventive and masterful system.

This is it. The best Biblical Greek text out there. (Trust me, I've read them all). Story uses word pictures to aid in memorization and recall. Along with the flash cards, this is the best tool for learning New Testament Greek.

This is the grammar book to buy if you are serious about learning and using Greek. It is well written, well organized, and well printed. It is very easy to read and use initially to learn the rules and to use as a reference later when you just need one piece of information. Our entire class at the Defense Language Institute replaced our text with this book.

Anybody who desires to master the Greek language will benefit immensely by having this book as a resource. The language is broken down and explained with the aid of thousands of examples from everyday Greek. Well presented and easy to navigate, reference to this book will clear up any ambiguities you encounter while learning Greek. It is the reference guide I have been looking for.

This is a valuable resource for those who are pursuing specialized studies in Spanish such as translation and linguistics. The book will also be helpful to advanced students, teachers and native speakers who have an interest in the specifics of the language such as the art to vocabulary building. The book focuses on Spanish suffixes and the possible equivalents in the English language where applicable. This book will help you to grow your vocabulary, better understand the roots of Spanish words and also help you to strengthen your foundation in understanding the logical aspect in the formation of words in Spanish. For example:

Words that end in -ity- in English usually end in -dad- Spanish. Humanity=humanidad and eternity =eternidad and the gender is feminine. -ence- and -ency- in English is equivalent to -encia- in Spanish. Agency= agencia and Afluency=afluencia.

Also at the end of every suffix studied there are samples of idiomatic expressions at random that are very helpful which will also increase your vocabulary and knowledge of fixed expressions in Spanish. Examples from the book include:

1) a suplicacion- on petition or by request
2) andar en lenguas- to be the subject of gossip
3) hora punta- rush hour
4) noticia bomba- sensational news
5) huelga decir-needless to say.

I have not seen anything comparable to this guide on the market. I have owned for seven years now and it has been an educational and priceless resource.

This book was a great asset to me. This helped me breeze through my spanish suffixes in a flash. I reccomend this book to anyone willing to take the time to learn spanish the fun and easy way.