Brewer's Dictionary of London Phrase & Fable
Russ Willey

A Greater London version of the much-loved and frequently revised Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, which was compiled by the Reverend Ebenezer Cobham Brewer and first published in 1870. The content will include significant historical events, especially those that have passed into the language in some way and/or mention a street or place in London, e.g. the Putney Debates, the Battle of Cable Street; significant historical Londoners, and a selection from the present day, who have made a mark on the city, for good or ill, from the Emperor Claudius (who established London as a Roman outpost) to Ken Livingstone; London customs and ceremonies; major London institutions, organisations, clubs, etc; mythological or well-known fictional characters related to London, e.g. Brutus of Troy (mythological founder of London), Sherlock Holmes; the most important artistic and literary works depicting London, including paintings, plays, books and films; London artistic or literary circles, e.g. the Camden Town Group (of artists), the Bloomsbury Group; words with a London origin; London slang terms and catchphrases and well-known buildings and other locations, especially those with names that are widely recognised in everyday conversation.