Most people think of an idea but don't know the idiom. Use the PDF’s index. If you want to express "something very rare," look up "rare" in the index. McMordie will give you: "Once in a blue moon."

: If no obvious keyword exists, look for its grammatical structure, such as Adjective + Noun (e.g., "a wet blanket") or Phrasal Verbs (e.g., "put in for something"). Alternative Forms : The book uses a slant mark (

Unpacking the Canon: A Critical Examination of W. McMordie’s English Idioms and its Digital Legacy

Another common search error is confusing McMordie with , the author of English Grammar in Use . While Murphy focuses on grammar, he has a distinct section on idioms and collocations.

To understand the value of the PDF, you must understand the linguist behind it. (full name William McMordie) was a distinguished British grammarian and author active in the early to mid-20th century. Unlike modern phrasebooks that rely on algorithmic data, McMordie compiled his lists manually, drawing from centuries of English literature, journalism, and colloquial speech.