From Abadan to Zero Point, this dictionary provides an accessible guide to the language and lore which have developed around railways since their invention in the early 19th century. It defines railway terms and includes proper names of trains, lines, companies, periodicals and manufacturers, as well as clarifying the profusion of abbreviations, acronyms and initials. The dictionary also interprets and explains many foreign words and phrases, and the slang and colloquialisms used by professional and amateurs alike. The text is enhanced by many explanatory drawings and diagrams.
From Abadan to Zero Point, this dictionary provides an accessible guide to the fascinating language and lore which have grown up around railways since their invention in the early 19th century. It defines railway terms and includes proper names of trains, lines, companies, periodicals and manufacturers, as well as clarifying a profusion of abbreviations, acronyms and initials. The dictionary also interprets and explains in a clear, concise manner many foreign words and phrases, and the slang and colloquialisms used by professionals and amateurs alike. The text is enhanced by many helpful explanatory drawings and diagrams.
Quotations have exercised a particular fascination for humanity since the birth of recorded language and their potency in the age of the soundbite is stronger than ever. We revel in quotations, compete to know them, love them, hate them and inscribe them in books and on buildings, and this freshly revised and updated dictionary includes a wealth of new material among its 13,000 familiar, serious, outrageous, witty and thought-provoking entries.The Wordsworth Dictionary of Quotations is an essential work of reference for every writer, journalist and speech-maker, as well as being a treasure-trove for the browser and the simply curious. From the Roman poet Ovid's observation that 'Judgement of beauty can er, what with the wine and the dark' to Oscar Wilde's that 'Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes', there is a wide diversity of sayings to add spice to our conversation and enrich our daily lives. The book is alphabetically arranged by author and indexed by keyword for ease of use.
"The Modern Railways Dictionary of Railway Industry Terms is an essential guide to the complex world of the modern railway scene. Today's privatised railway industry has created for itself a whole new range of jargon to be added to that already in use in an industry whose history now spans two centuries." "In this book the reader is guided through the terminology that is in present use, reflecting the new railway structures that have replaced the old. The organisation of the railway itself is explained and its relationship with other bodies. This includes the Department for Transport and Network Rail as well as crucial areas such as the responsibility for safety and the funding arrangements for the Passenger Transport Executives." "While much of the book is arranged alphabetically, there are a number of topics - from the legal position to signalling, passenger services to rolling stock and so on - organised thematically."--BOOK JACKET.
Like it or not, abbreviations and acronyms are now an essential ingredient of everyday life. Since the first edition of The Wordsworth Dictionary of Abbreviations & Acronyms was published in mid-1997, the compilers have been diligently collecting further examples from many walks of life
"A valuable window into a long-underreported dimension of African American history."—Newsday An engaging social history that reveals the critical role Pullman porters played in the struggle for African American civil rights When George Pullman began recruiting Southern blacks as porters in his luxurious new sleeping cars, the former slaves suffering under Jim Crow laws found his offer of a steady job and worldly experience irresistible. They quickly signed up to serve as maid, waiter, concierge, nanny, and occasionally doctor and undertaker to cars full of white passengers, making the Pullman Company the largest employer of African American men in the country by the 1920s. In the world of the Pullman sleeping car, where whites and blacks lived in close proximity, porters developed a unique culture marked by idiosyncratic language, railroad lore, and shared experience. They called difficult passengers "Mister Charlie"; exchanged stories about Daddy Jim, the legendary first Pullman porter; and learned to distinguish generous tippers such as Humphrey Bogart from skinflints like Babe Ruth. At the same time, they played important social, political, and economic roles, carrying jazz and blues to outlying areas, forming America's first black trade union, and acting as forerunners of the modern black middle class by virtue of their social position and income. Drawing on extensive interviews with dozens of porters and their descendants, Larry Tye reconstructs the complicated world of the Pullman porter and the vital cultural, political, and economic roles they played as forerunners of the modern black middle class. Rising from the Rails provides a lively and enlightening look at this important social phenomenon. • Named a Recommended Book by The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Seattle Times
