I Hear America Talking: An Illustrated Treasury of American Words and Phrases

As the author writes in his preface, he is attempting to present the American language through American history and to present America and American history through our language. He accomplishes this, although in a quite selective way. It in no way compares, that is to say, with the six-volume Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) which extensively documents words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another place across the United States. As Flexner explains, “This book is a selection of what I consider to be the most revealing, interesting, and typical words and phrases from the American language and American history.”

Each entry varies in length, from very short to short, with occasional longer show more entries, such as under “The Blacks. ” Examples of word entries include such terms as abolition, hamburgers, OK, and Yankee. Among the phrases he selects you will find “Alibi Ike,” “confidence man,” “goin’ courtin’,” “The Great Depression,” “Lickety Split,” and “The Real McCoy.”

For each entry, Flexner provides a history of the derivation and usage, as well as related terms. (Thus, under “Dashing Men,” Flexner also discusses dude, guy, playboy, smooth apple, Mr. Right, and so on.)

Certainly for those without the time or resources to consult DARE, this is a way to get a taste of how language reflects the American story. It’s a fun way to learn history, and to pick up lots of entertaining trivia. show less