An invaluable guide to the language and culture of our modern world Focusing on the English of the 20th and 21st centuries, this impressive volume examines the linguistic and cultural significance of over 7,500 popular words and phrases. Its highly browsable encyclopedic entries cover topics as diverse as catchphrases, buzzwords, characters from film, TV and literature, slogans, idioms and modern cultural references. From Harry Potter to Posh and Becks, Chelsea tractors to 'cheap as chips', Brewer's Modern Phrase and Fable defines the world we live in.