Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

The impressive box cover is a foldable protective device and not a Slip Cover. The artwork on the slippery Dust Jacket is not reproduced on the blue covers, unlike the DK Oxford Illustrated Dictionaries. With strong glue and sensible folding, a home-made slip cover can be fashioned from the box cover. Shamelessly, I can "request" my staff put on a plastic wrap right away (outside their job description!), while I am going to the computer to order another set for my home. Better investment than futures derivatives and other dictionaries, I think. These two volumes need to have mylar plastic jackets with custom-made retaining end-pockets, so the publishers may want to consider this as an optional extra. I consider custom-made plastic jackets Mandatory, and those who do not want the Mylar jacket can just slip it away. Thus plastic protected, this Dictionary makes excellent reading from cover to cover, like a novel. The layout is superb. The words stand out. Etymology is usefully condensed and unobstrusive. All words are of the Good to Know category, and this is the FEEL GOOD dictionary of all time. I read it recreationally. I wondered if the CD proclaimed loudly on the protective box dropped out during shipping, but it was found securely stuck on an inside page at the end of Volume 2. Shrink wrapping on the 2 volumes means the CD is tamper-proof. This dictionary is more likely to go up in price rather than down. It was once Eligible for Super-Saver Shipping (mine), but this is no longer the case. Lock in your order now, before you get charged for the CD, which I thought was a pleasant unadvertised bonus. There is a hefty premium for the CD with the Concise Oxford. Much has been said of the scarily thin paper printed in Italy. I tugged on random pages and opined it can withstand a lifetime of reasonable use without tearing. It is not the heavy duty paper of the 1993 editionS, (there were several versions), which were ironically Printed in the United States of America, and had the American pronouncing key in many 1993 versions. This edition has the International Phonetic Transcription. I pinched a singular thin page with both hands and managed to lift the spine half an inch off the table with that singular page before my nerves gave way, rather than the page. The paper was of high quality; bright and pleasing to touch. Very little of the print on the reverse page can be "seen through", and the translucent effect was not noticeable unless you looked for it. Paradoxically, a different dictionary from another reputable publisher with much thicker Finnish paper had the print of the reverse page showing through. Words are divided into: A. MUST KNOW: the 3000 core words of any language which enables you to read the newspaper in that language, B. SHOULD KNOW: the 10000 words which allows you to argue, persuade, communicate, get a raise, and make you sound smart, C. GOOD TO KNOW: that is our SHORTER OXFORD forte. No archaic words. There is not a single word which might not come in handy one day. This is a fascinating journey of discovery into words I should have looked up, but was too lazy to do so at the time - reading in the toilet, space shuttle, being legit excuses, and D. THERE TO KNOW: which is the 20 Volume "Mother" OXFORD, which is also fascinating reading, but I have rarely bothered to resort to it for two decades, except in extremis, and it remains a vanity possession. The Head-letter of each and every entry is not auto-capitalised, unlike some idiotic 1993 versions. You can figure out how "Bangalore torpedo" is capitalised, but it is useful to know "clarence" the coach is not capitalised. If only I had known this dictionary was so reader friendly, I would have raved less about some other dictionaries, which are now reduced to compendiums by this Shorter Oxford. Let me explain: a. all Latin phrases are there, so there is no pressing need for a separate dictionary of latin phrases; and they are in useful phrase form, not in single word form which drives you crazy, b. all French phrases in common and uncommon use are there, c. all the commonly used Chinese, Japanese, asian romanised terms are there, d. all the medical terms of a small medical dictionary are there - "trust me, I am a doctor" :) - so there is no need for you to buy a "just in case" medical dictionary. I believe this applies to the "contingency" dictionaries in other professional disciplines and liberal arts. I am afraid to point out examples from the fabulous array of medical terms and products, for fear that my colleagues might construe it as a sign of my prior ignorance of these terms, e. a dictionary of Acronyms would now be totally subsumed, ...I think you get the idea of just how usefully comprehensive this work is. I am going to postpone my purchase of a Hebrew-English dictionary after finding "Talmid Chacham" (smart-ass) properly explained. For legal definitions, I would rather have professionally researched words, but I can foresee this Shorter Oxford coming in useful as evidence of Every Day usage of the English words, replacing the Concise Oxford, like in libel suits. Just about every small "specialised" dictionary, even technical ones, has been subsumed within the latest Shorter Oxford. In this respect, it is great value for money. Fear of clowns, "coulrophobia", on page 535, cannot be found in the 20 Volume Oxford and its Addition Series, nor in large Medical Dictionaries, nor in The American Psychiatric Association's DSM-IV TR Manual - shame! At the time of this review, it has been marked down from the list price of $175 to $110. In 1993, the dictionary was 39.95 pounds sterling. Some later revisions were 79.95 pounds sterling; special versions priced, well, specially. Given the exchange rate then of English money, the current Shorter Oxford is cheaper today in absolute terms. And if you factor in the purchasing power of money in 1993, you are getting this at just a fraction of the inflation-adjusted 1990s price, and a free CD too. To the Editors' credit, the Shorter Oxford steers well clear from being a thesaurus. Precise definitions are given, not a list of similar words leaving you wondering how to match the meaning with the appropriate simile. The height of the Shorter Oxford is just slightly less than the 20 Volume Mother Oxford. I suspect these two colourfully jacketed volumes are to join the 2009 (now printed in China) Mother Oxford , forming the preface of a 22 volume set. Sneaky. Other than my gripe with the unfortified Dust Jacket, this super-duper Edition merits association with the word "lexicographomania", which is not in the Shorter Oxford, but neither is it in the 20 volume Mother Oxford. And yes, the Shorter Oxford deliberately leaves out many portmanteau words where you can go figure out the meaning for yourself.

I got SOED from Amazon.com few weeks ago. It helps me in translation of one English text in my first language. So far I can only say praise for the dictionary. Meanings of the headwords are listed in very clear manner - so I could find the best "shade" of meaning - which wasn't the case with my other dictionaries. Also - good layout of text helps to detect the right meaning easier. Although I need glasses for reading - even reading illustration blocks isn't a problem. Symbols for pronunciation seem to me standard as in other dictionaries - it takes little practice, but if in doubt there is clear pronunciation on the CD. As an example - headword 'apprehensive' has a list of 5 meanings, and four of them are illustrated by quotation ( quotations are in fine print, tinted). Origin of this word is given from French and Latin. Noun 'knowledge' has a list of 14 meanings followed by a long list of phrases. Another example - word 'Wesak' (which I couldn't find in any other dictionary, it comes from Buddhist tradition) also has it's origin given. I think there are more words of Sanskrit origin in SOED then in any other English dictionary. There are explanations for: prajna, Vajrayana, prakrti, purusha, vahan, skandha... Another feature - guide for pronunciation at the bottom of pages - contains almost all (47) pronunciations of sounds in English, so one will almost never have to look into the Pronunciation guide at the beginning of volume 1. It is for anyone who needs very precise meaning of words or is after rare words. Highly recommended.

I went to collect these two handsome volumes at my local post office in the morning of September 16, 2011, together with Roget's International Thesaurus and Merriam-Webster Reference Set. I chose the cheapest shipping way of getting them to Beijing, China. When I opened the bag, I sadly found that my Roget's book's upper spine got smashed. This is a blessing, though. Roget's absorbed the brunt of impacts and kept my dear SOED safe and sound! So be warned: if your ordered SOED has to travel a long distance, you will want to choose a stronger package. But I'm not sure Amazon offers this option. The two volumes are thick, big and heavy. It's Shorter only in relation to the 20-volume OED. Paper is good. Binding robust. Three-columned and clearly typeset. This book comes with a CD-Rom, which I only found out after seeing a postcard about registering MY SOED CD-ROM. The Flash-based software works fine. It's supposed to house all the SOED entries. But I don't know why the software interface shows the number of entries at only 170,263. The editors did an excellent job of defining words. I found two that are particularly interesting: 1. Terrorism: Terrorist principles and practices; the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims; the fact of terrorizing or being terrorized. (I wrote a blog post about this entry:[...]) Of course, you can find lots of definitions of what terrorism is. But this SOED one is unique: ... the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation.... What if it IS official or authorized? Then, it's War. (The state of (usu. open and declared) armed conflict between nations or states; armed hostilities between nations or states, or between parties in the same nation or state; the employment of armed forces against a foreign power, or against an opposing party in the state. Also (now chiefly arch. or joc.) in pl. (treated as pl. or sing.) in same sense.) 2. Vegetarian: A person who on principle abstains from animal food; esp. one who avoids meat but will consume dairy produce and eggs and sometimes also fish. (v.s. Collins' Unabridged definition "a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc." and ) I thought a veg never eats any animal products. It's clear that some vegs consider fish or dairy products good to eat. SOED should be the ultimate choice for anyone who love English dictionaries but don't need the 20-volume OED. Highly recommended for English learners like me who now need a "grownup" English dictionary.

The compass of Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is beyond comparison.It compresses in 4000 pages the entire vocabulary of the English language.It reveals how the English language evolved, and assimilated the words from almost all languages of the world and still growing, young and vibrant. It shows that it is not a mere compilation of of words and their meaning and their usage but through words how the English language has become a storehouse of entire human knowledge.For anyone who is fond of the English language it is a valuable companion.

It is a good dictionary

Englisch scheint eine sehr einfache Sprache zu sein, sie kann aber auch sehr reich sein, wenn man sich darauf einlassen will. Das "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary" (SOED) gibt dazu einen Einblick ins Vokabular, in die Herkunft der Wörter, in die Vielfalt der Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten. "Shorter" ist dabei typisch englischer Humor, denn das SOED kommt in zwei mammutgroßen und elefantenschweren Bänden, die sich aber erstaunlich gut handhaben lassen. Die Schrift ist klein, aber sehr gut lesbar. Dreispaltiger Satz mit vielen Textbeispielen aus Presse und Literatur machen die Lektüre angenehm. Ja, Lektüre! Oder kauft jemand ein Wörterbuch nur zum nachschlagen? Das SOED schlägt man auf, aber nicht gleich wieder zu. Es ist spannend zu lesen und kann süchtig machen, wie eine Enzyklopädie oder ein großes Lexikon. Wem die zwei Bände SOED nicht reichen: Es gibt noch ein sündhaft teures komplettes "Oxford English Dictionary" (OED) in 20 Bänden. Das SOED enthält alle alle Wörter vom 17. Jahrhundert an bis zur heutigen Computersprache plus die älteren Wörter der englischen King-James-Bibel und die von William Shakespeares Werken. Wer mehr Textbeispiele und ganz altes Englisch vor dem 17. Jahrhundert braucht, sollte zum OED greifen. Das "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary" kommt in zwei Bänden im Schuber und ist fadengeheftet. Das heißt, man kann die Wälzer aufschlagen, und sie fallen nicht wieder zu, und die Bücher sind dauerhaft haltbar, weil die Seiten eingenäht sind. Was ich so von Langenscheidt und Duden bekomme, ist alles nur geklebt und wird früher oder später zur Loseblattsammlung. Wer mehr Amerikanisch nachschlagen will, ist wohl mit einem Merriam-Webster (M-W) besser bedient. Leider hat M-W keine Internationale Lautschrift, sondern etwas selbstgestrickt-amerikanisches, das man erst erlernen muß. Da ist das Shorter Oxford im Vorteil. Vom Preis her war Amazon bei weitem der günstigste Lieferant, 20 Euro unter dem günstigsten Preis auf dem sonstigen Markt. Das "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary" ist in jeder Hinsicht empfehlenswert! Ich bin sehr zufrieden.

First of all I was not sure if the dictionary would run with Windows 7. Windows 7 was not included with the operating systems quoted on the back of the cd cover but it works fine. Installation was a pleasant surprise. I have the full OED on cd and installing that can take quite a while. This was lightning fast. My operating system suggested that installation was faulty but on trying it out it worked fine. I like the set up. It's easy to navigate around, very smooth. The entries, quotations etc. are clear. As for the dictionary itself I have yet to make up my mind as I will need to work with it a little bit. In my opinion the OED is the best English dictionary for fulfilling the most important function of a dictionary - imparting an understanding of a word. This version of the Shorter Oxford Dictionary is less forbidding than the older versions which is all to the good. I expect and hope that this latest edition has not lost the clarity of explanation which is a hallmark of most Oxford dictionaries.

Ce dictionnaire - c'est un pavé - est ce qu'il y a de plus complet et fouillé pour les amoureux de la langue anglaise. Je ne me lasse pas de m'y promener Rebecca