Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms – Book Review

Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms

by Marvin Terban

English grammar may be a tough nut to crack for many people. But if you ask me what the most challenging part of learning English is, I'd say, without a doubt, it is learning idiomatic expressions. According to my favorite online dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary, an idiom is "an expression whose meaning is different from the meaning of the individual words." This kind of language potentially causes confusion among English learners, and it almost certainly would at some point in their learning journeys. Finding incredibly useful resources for learning idioms is a must-do, and the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms by Marvin Terban is a must-buy.

This book is a top-drawer idiom reference; I am absolutely blown away by its superb quality. Why should you read the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms? Firstly, it boasts a whopping over 700 idioms, listed in alphabetical order. The sheer number should massively enrich your idiomatic vocabulary. Next, the definitions given are as clear as a bell. This is crucial to the success of learners' acquisition of the idioms. Thirdly, a simple, easy-to-understand example is provided for every idiom. Definitions are quite indispensable, but examples give the necessary context in which the idioms can be used, and clarify the grammatical roles and behavior of the words making them up. As if these are not enough, the author treats readers to information about the origins of the idioms. I have only read about those which I thought I had to and found them very interesting and well written. Learning how these idioms came to be has helped me incorporate them in my brain. There are also occasional cross-references in this feature, which have further expanded my knowledge of English idioms. All of these make the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms an invaluable resource for those aiming to improve the idiomatic aspect of their English.

Part of the reason why I love this book so much is the author's fine writing style. Gorgeous, elegant, rich, and eloquent. I have to admit that I really admire Mr. Terban for this forte of his! I would also like you to note that all the idioms in this book are used in American English. This means that a British person might have difficulty in understanding some of them. For British idioms, you may want to check out Work on your Idioms by Sandra Anderson & Cheryl Pelteret.

If you want to be head and shoulders above your fellow English learners, idiom-wise, get the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms by Marvin Terban at the drop of a hat!

Have you read the Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms? If so, share your two cents in the comment section below!

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Q&A (Q-Man and Answers) #3: Of all your passions, which will you do until you are old and why?

 

#3

Question from Isma Swastiningrum: Of all your passions, which will you do until you are old and why?

Q-Man's answer:

If you are a loyal reader of my blog, you must know that I am deeply passionate about three things: English, dinosaurs, and Jay Chou. (the description on my Blogger profile also very clearly shows this) My life has revolved around this trio for ages and they account for a huge chunk of my existence on this planet: I teach (and learn) English for a living, I read lots of dinosaur books (both fiction and nonfiction), and I listen to (and sing) Jay Chou's songs all the time. These three are an extricable part of my life. I have loved English for about as long as I have been fascinated with dinosaurs. The two interests influence each other in a beautiful way: learning English enhances my knowledge and understanding of dinosaurs as many great dinosaurian learning materials are delivered in the language, while consuming them inevitably increases my English proficiency as I get exposed to more vocabulary and become more aware of the grammatical patterns and behavior of the language. As for Jay Chou, it is how I reach nirvana: his music so magically melodious that simply no words can describe its sheer beauty. I think I have no reason not to devote myself to all of them until my death.

Q&A (Q-Man and Answers) is a section where I answer questions from my readers. Feel free to send me any question through one of my social media channels. Note that you may choose to remain anonymous.

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How Happy Are You?

Please don't mock my attempt at creating an eye-catching title, but I think it's the best I could come up with and it certainly serves the primary purpose of this article. Now we are back in the theme of happiness, something that humanity seems to never get tired of seeking and discussing – and it's for an obviously good reason.

We humans naturally gravitate towards happiness and the feeling that we are on top of the world is just indescribable, in positive ways. Think about beatific smiles, the state of being free of worries, painlessness, the absence of threats, and the list goes on and on. I strongly believe that Heaven, as described by many or most religions, is a "physical" manifestation of this quality. Every once in a while I can't help but muse on my own level of happiness. How happy am I? On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not happy at all and 10 perfectly happy, where would I put myself? I think it is healthy to ask ourselves this kind of question as a form of self-assessment of our own contentment with our own life. So where do I stand on this simply made happiness scale?

If I had to rate my own happiness by this means, I would put myself somewhere between 8 and 8.5. Pretty good score, right? I may not be a billionaire like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, but I do have all my bare necessities, which Stoicism considers to be a requisite for happiness. I have a home, I can eat three times a day, I can go to the doctor if falling sick, and so on and so forth. And that's actually enough for me not to fall into the category of non-happy people – and this should work for other people too.

In addition to the fulfilled basic needs, there are things that added to my happiness score. I possess enough savings for an emergency fund, giving me a sense of security for when the universe is being mischievous and not on my side. I also have a job that really fits one of my greatest passions: English. What's more, my dream of having my own library has been achieved! (Due to limited space, I cannot buy another bookcase and I have switched to buying Kindle books. Here's hoping for a bigger home!) All these and others of the same kind certainly cranked up my happiness level and I am truly grateful for these life blessings, which not all people have the privilege of having.

It is true that life can be tough and things often don't go the way you want. This can cause one's level happiness to drop unnecessarily. Why? One simply must realize that most events in life happen outside their control. Stressing about these things will only lead to unhappiness or even depression. Many people probably, more often than not, sweat over things that they do not have influence over, which is a good recipe for misery. We ought to focus on what we can control and rightly ignore what we can't. This Stoic notion is also what keeps me sane in my day-to-day life and contributes to how happy I am. (Check out Stoicism for Inner Peace by Einzelgänger for a wonderful resource for learning about Stoicism.)

You may be wondering, "How about the remaining 1–1.5? What would make you 'fully' happy?" I think it is a tough nut to crack. Is there anybody who has achieved the state of absolute happiness? I may well have to shake hands with my idol Jay Chou and spend an hour talking about music and life with him in order to to attain such bliss. In the meantime, I will just keep my expectations low and make the most of my life every second. How about you? How happy are you? 😊

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Quote #85

"How you see yourself is vastly more important than how others see you." - Klinsman Hinjaya

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