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IdiomDictionary helps you hit the nail on the head, even if you're not the sharpest tool in the box
IdiomDictionary has a killer domain name, because that's exactly what it is: a dictionary for idioms. I have no idea how much the domain cost, but it appears to be quite clean of advertising.
The site claims to explain the meaning of over 5,000 idioms. It does not seem to use an "established" dictionary for the definitions, but the explanations seem to be well written, concise, and authoritative.
Many dictionaries explain idioms, and OneLook lets you search for the idiom directly. But one unique IdiomDictonary feature is the "Nearby Terms" list; it's like a thesaurus just for idioms. So, let's say you have an idiom in mind, but it's a bit too trite or offensive, and you want to go for another, similar idiom. A regular dictionary won't help you out there, but IdiomDictionary will.
On the flip side, the site does not feature a "reverse search." Let's say, for example, that I want to find an idiom that means "very hungry" but does not use the word "hungry" in the actual phrase. Currently, that's something I can't do. It would be a simple feature to add, though, so I hope that this slight omission in functionality will soon be remedied.
Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsBrianAug 5th 2010 4:39PM
You don't use sharp tools to hit nails.
Kate FennerAug 9th 2010 4:20PM
Thank you very much for your write-up of IdiomDictionary. We wanted to let you all know that we've improved our search feature to make "reverse search" a little easier. For example, if you search for 'hungry', you will now see a link to results for all idioms which contain the word 'hungry.' (You may have to do a hard refresh if you've already tried this). I hope this helps you and your users continue to find our site increasingly useful.
-Kate, The IdiomDictionary team