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Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions, and figures, whether historical or mythical.
The "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" from 1895 is now in the public domain, and web-based versions are available online.
The most recent version is the 20th edition, published in November 2018 by Chambers Harrap Publishers.
Originally published in 1870 by Cassell, Petter & Galpin and written by the Reverend E. Cobham Brewer, it was aimed at the growing number of people who wanted to understand the origins of phrases and historical or literary allusions, but did not have a university education. The 'phrase' part of the title refers mainly to the explanation of various idioms and proverbs, while the "fable" part might more accurately be labelled "folklore" and ranges from classical mythology to relatively recent literature. On top of this, Brewer added notes on important historical figures and events, and other things which he thought would be of interest, such as Roman numerals. Brewer's provides information often not included in more traditional dictionaries and encyclopaedias. A "New Edition revised, corrected, and enlarged" of 1440 pages was published by the author in 1895,[1] not long before he died. Since then, it has been continually republished, in revised and updated editions.
タイトルが変更され、改訂されたこのバージョンは、当初エイドリアン・ルームによって編集され、2000年に初版が発行されました（ISBN 978-0304350964）。第2版（ISBN 978-0550105646イアン・クロフトンとジョン・アイトーが編集した『』は、2010年11月30日に出版された。 [ 4 ]このタイトルは『ブリュワーの慣用句と寓話辞典』の構成に基づいているが、1900年以降の項目が含まれており、親巻とは別の著作として存在している。[ 5 ]
過去には様々な派生版が出版されており、中には「言い回しと寓話」というテーマからかなりかけ離れたものもある。例えば、『Brewer's Dictionary of Cinema』（1997年）や、ウィリアム・ドナルドソンの「悪党、悪漢、変わり者」A-Z集『Brewer's Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics』（2002年）などである。『Brewer's Dictionary of London Phrase and Fable』は2009年に出版され、『Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable』も同時期に再版された。