The book reflects a departure from the previous one in scope and in format. This edition, containing some 28,500 terms, is not meant to be exhaustive in its coverage. It focuses on mining-related terms and excludes such related categories as ceramics, glass, metallurgy, petroleum, and other specialized disciplines. Geological terms which relate to mining are included, as are minerals which have a commercial value or which are associated with such minerals. Many chemicals and materials that are not usually connected with mining or minerals processing do not appear, nor do the chemical elements unless they are classified as minerals.

English is the language most frequently used in international military and peacekeeping operations. This dictionary aims to provide a basic vocabulary of British and American terms relating to the three services, and covers subjects such as rank, organization, training, operations in the field, logistics, radio communications, and some of the more common weapons and equipment currently in use. In addition, there are selected items of general vocabulary relating to geography, terrain, weather, medical treatment and other relevant matters. New terms used by the media in reporting on recent conflicts are also included, making this an ideal reference source for anyone involved in teaching English to the military or armed police forces.

Some long-time users of the book may notice that the familiar Hanley & Belfus imprint has been replaced by Elsevier's Saunders imprint. No matter what the imprint, however, the same care as always has been taken in the selection of entries and the verification of their accuracy. The familiar format of boldface acronyms and abbreviations followed by run-in meanings has been retained, allowing the book to be kept to a convenient size. New terms have been drawn especially from the areas of virology, clinical trials, new technology, and medical informatics.

This work is the result of contributions from 52 active researchers in geophysics, astrophysics and astronomy. We have followed a philosophy of directness and simplicity, while still allowing contributors flexibility to expand in their own areas of expertise. They are cited in the contributors’ list, but I take this opportunity to thank the contributors for their efforts and their patience. The subject areas of this dictionary at the time of this writing are among the most active of the physical sciences. Astrophysics and astronomy are enjoying a new golden era, with remarkable observations in new wave bands (γ -rays, X-rays, infrared, radio) and in new fields: neutrino and (soon) gravitational wave astronomy.

The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering provides a compendium of more than 18,000 terms that are central to the various branches of engineering and related fields of science. The coverage in this Second Edition is focused on building construction, chemical engineering, civil engineering, control systems, design engineering, electricity and electronics, engineering acoustics, industrial engineering, mechanics and mechanical engineering, systems engineering, and thermodynamics. Many of the terms used in engineering are often found in specialized dictionaries and glossaries; this Dictionary, however, aims to provide the user with the convenience of a single, comprehensive reference.

The Dictionary is designed to be comprehensive in scope. Its range spans terms encountered in the practice of architecture from Classical to green, from traditional materials to the latest products, from precise definitions of architectural styles to the particulars of specifications writing. Many of the new terms are associated with major expansions in the field of building services, including air-conditioning systems, electrical supply systems, gas supply services, illumination engineering, noise control engineering, vertical transportation systems, security services, and waste disposal, water supply, and fire protection systems.

This dictionary is a collection of slang and colloquial expressions in frequent use in the United States in the twentieth century. It contains expressions that are familiar to many Americans and other expressions that are used primarily within small groups of people. The entries represent the language of the underworld, the nursery, the college campus, California beaches, urban back streets, and Wall Street. We hear from prisoners, surfers, junkies, Valley Girls, blacks, weight lifters, and just plain folks. Fad words, metaphors, wordplay, and various figures of speech make up the body of the dictionary.

The Oxford Dictionary of Allusions aims to identify and explain many such allusions used in English and to illustrate their use by quotations from a variety of literary works and other texts. In the style of a thesaurus the entries are grouped thematically under such headings as Anger, Change, Dreams, Explorers, and Revenge.

This is a guidebook to a foreign language. The language of Law uses mostly English words, but they rarely mean what they seem. Many look like everyday English, but have technical definitions totally different from their ordinary uses. Some mean several different things, depending on the area of law or business they come from. The language of Law also contains more “leftovers” than most languages. Hundreds of Latin, Old French, Old English, and obsolete words are still used in their original forms.

The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms explains the meaning and use of around 7,000 idioms in a clear and helpful way. It is a truly international dictionary: it covers current British, American and Australian idioms.