The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs

"There are no second acts". "It takes a village to raise a child". "Life is just a bowl of cherries". We may think of proverbs as expressions of ancient wisdom, but in fact new proverbs are constantly arising. This unique volume is devoted exclusively to English language proverbs that originated in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The most complete and accurate such collection ever compiled, "The Yale Book of Modern Proverbs" presents more than 1,400 individual proverbs gathered with the help of electronic full-text databases that have never been available before. Entries are organized alphabetically by key words, and each includes information about the proverb's earliest appearance, origin, history, and meaning. Mundane or sublime, serious or jocular, these wise sayings represent virtually every aspect of the modern experience. Readers are invited not only to explore and browse among these fascinating pages but also to contribute potential new entries through a dedicated website.