František Čermák (Ed. in Chief) et al. Slovník české a obecné frazeologie a idiomatiky I-IV [Dictionary of Czech Phraseology and Idiomatics]

Although the phraseology of a small language like Czech may be of relatively limited general interest to speakers of other languages except to a small group of specialists, the qualities of the four-volume dictionary under review are such that it definitely merits a closer look. It is monumental not just in sheer size, with the four volumes totalling over three and a half thousand pages (and more than 35 000 entries), but especially in the breadth and depth of the information provided. Together, the four volumes, using a remarkably uniform format, strive for nothing less than the full, comprehensive description of a language’s contemporary phraseology, unparalleled as the authors claim in any other language. The English counterpart (probably unsurpassed by any other English idiom dictionary so far) comparable to the dictionary under review appears to be the Oxford Dictionary of Current Idiomatic English by Cowie et al., which deals with multiword verbs (Vol.1, 1975) and phrase, clause and sentence idioms (Vol.2, 1983). Although it is less than half the size (15 000 entries), the range of expressions included and particularly its theoretical background and detailed linguistic description of the expressions provide a valid basis for comparison.