The Concise Oxford Dictionary. Adapted by - IL W. Fowler and
F. G. Fowler from The Oxford Dictionary. (Oxford University pees& se are net.)—The nature of this book is almost sufficiently explained by ita title. It possesses, however, some special features which may be mentioned. The chief of these is the large amount of relative space devoted to common words, which, though (or perhaps because) they are the most often used, have the most complicated and subtle variations of meaning. On the other hand, words that are uncommon, or "fitter for the encyclopaedia than the dictionary," receive very curt treatment. The dictionary is, moreover, limited to such words and senses of words as are current, and this term is not made to include either Shakespeare or the Bible. These peculiarities which we have noted seem to indicate that the dictionary will be more useful to foreigners than Englishmen. The Englishman in general needs a dictionary (apart from difficulties of spelling) only to set himself right as to the precise meaning of some semi-technical or archaic word. It is only a foreigner who requires to know much of the various idiomatic uses of an everyday word. We may mention at the same time that we have received a new section of The Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press. 5e.), which contains the words from " Team " to " Tezkere." The latter of these, it may be remarked, is explained as "a Turkish official memorandum or certificate of any kind," and was first used in English by Coryat in 1612.
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