When one writes in French or English, one usually tries to match the usage to the medium (to paraphrase the late Marshall McLuhan). Thus, one writes a formal essay differently than one would write an informal memo or an e-mail. "Idiom" books, such as "2001 French and English Idioms: 2001 Idiotismes Français et Anglais" 2nd ed., can help when one is writing not in one's native tongue. Even so, despite such dictionaries or the mass appeal of online language translation applications, one hesitates to venture into idiomatic usage for fear of embarrassment. When speaking in a foreign tongue, "argot" seems to come easier, and any mistakes in usage are often amusing, charming, and forgettable. In speaking French, for example, one finds many colorful and up-to-date expressions in "Merde!" and "Merde Encore!" by Geneviève, or in the "Street French" series. However, most of the idiomatic expressions found in these books would not be appropriate for written communications, other than for online chatting.

Divided into two almost equal parts, "French-English" and "English-French," this thick book is a useful guide for both French and English-speaking writers. Each part contains a foreword, a reviser's note, a preface, an alphabetical listing of the respective idioms, and an index. What is missing from this book, according to the authors, are those expressions which are literally the same in both languages. Thus so, one will not find the following expression: "Don't put all your eggs in the same basket./ Il ne faut pas mettre tous ses oeufs dans le même panier."

At first, the alphaphetical listing of idioms may seem difficult to search. Several times, I have not found a word or phrase that I have needed to translate. However, I do like the illustrative sentences that are part of each entry. Also, the book is truly bilingual. "2001 Idiotismes" is a good reference for writers of French and English who want a book that bridges the gap between a desk size dictionary and a pocket size dictionary that is academic in tone, without slang or vulgarity.

Recommended for high school and college students, general readers, and American travelers in France and French-speaking countries.

The 2001 French and English Idioms is an ambitious work organised alphabetically in both French and English together with indices for easy access, as well as providing clear examples of usage for each idiom. For example, for the idiom "lock, stock and barrel", "They sold everything, lock, stock, and barrel (Ils ont vendu tout le saint-frusquin)." is provided to demonstrate usage. The main problem for the learner is knowing how commonly used an idiom is in either language.

An accurate reference book for French as it is spoken in every day life. Very complete, very accurate and indispensable. Buy it!