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McGraw-Hill's essential phrasal verb dictionary - Richard Spears - 2008

       Phrasal verbs, also called two-word verbs, are idiomatic expressions wherein the second element of the verb (the adverb or particle) is not necessarily predictable. For instance, why the word up in call up a friend? Why not say call on a friend or call in a friend? Actually, those are three separate, unpredictable combinations, and they each mean something completely different. For example, you can call up a friend on the telephone, call on a friend to visit a friend’s home, and call in a friend to come help you with something.  
      This dictionary is a compilation of 1,800 phrasal verbs consisting of either a transitive or intransitive verb and its particle or adverb. In many cases, additional prepositional phrases are shown as part of the entry, but the dictionary focuses on phrasal or two-word verbs. This second edition of the basic phrasal verb collection is based on McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. The format of the dictionary is designed to provide the information needed by learners who are attempting to read and write conventional American English.

McGraw-Hill's essential american slang dictionary - Richard Spears - 2008

       This dictionary is a resource cataloging the meaning and usage of frequently occurring slang and colloquial expressions in the U.S.A. It contains expressions that are familiar to many Americans and other expressions that are used primarily within small groups of people. These expressions come from movies, novels, newspaper stories, and everyday conversation. The entries represent the vocabulary found in many places, such as the college campus and urban streets. We hear slang from surfers, weight lifters, and young people in general.
      This authoritative reference offers thousands of American English slang expressions. Entries include definitions and examples of slang used in context. With help from McGraw-Hill’s Essential American Slang Dictionary, you will become familiar with English as it is used in the media, at work, around the house, and in everyday conversations. This knowledge will help you comprehend English as it is spoken in the United States and add variety to your word usage.
      Inside you will find: 2,000 entries with examples of everyday usage; the latest slang used in the American lexicon; fun illustrations that show the humor of taking expressions too literally

McGraw-Hill's essential american idioms dictionary - Richard Spears - 2008

       Every language has phrases that cannot be understood literally. Even if you know the meanings of all the words in such a phrase and you understand the grammar completely, the total meaning of the phrase may still be confusing. English has many such idiomatic expressions. This dictionary is a selection of the frequently encountered idiomatic expressions found in everyday American English. The collection is small enough to serve as a useful study guide for learners, and large enough to serve as a reference for daily use. 
      This third edition contains 2,000 idiomatic phrases. This edition also has a Hidden Key Word Index that allows the user to find a particular idiom by looking up the words found “inside the idiom,” which is useful in finding the key words that do not occur at the  beginning of the idiomatic phrase.
      This dictionary should prove useful for people who are learning how to understand idiomatic English and for all speakers of English who want to know more about their language.