The Thesaurus Of Slang

Includes jargon, sports slang, and ethnic and regional expressions

Over 17,000 zippy synonyms for thousands of alphabetically arranged slang words--the whole nine yards--from AC-DC to zombie. Here are America's most important contemporary and historic slang words and phrases--originating in the sports world, drug culture, media, ethnic enclaves, and elsewhere.

Most people are intrigued by slang. This book provides the reader with knowledge of those "in" words and phrases.

With its unparalleled coverage of English slang of all types (from 18th-century cant to contemporary gay slang), and its uncluttered editorial apparatus, Cassell's Dictionary of Slang was warmly received when its first edition appeared in 1998. 'Brilliant.' said Mark Lawson on BBC2's The Late Review; 'This is a terrific piece of work - learned, entertaining, funny, stimulating' said Jonathan Meades in The Evening Standard.But now the world's best single-volume dictionary of English slang is about to get even better. Jonathon Green has spent the last seven years on a vast project: to research in depth the English slang vocabulary and to hunt down and record written instances of the use of as many slang words as possible. This has entailed trawling through more than 4000 books - plus song lyrics, TV and movie scripts, and many newspapers and magazines - for relevant material. The research has thrown up some fascinating results

This unique reference volume is two books in one: a dictionary of slang and a slang thesaurus, with both sections treating the same words and phrases. Entries are arranged alphabetically in the dictionary and thematically in the thesaurus, and include definition, pronunciation, part of speech—and origins, usage information, and usage alerts when applicable—in both the thesaurus and the dictionary. All entry words are visually coded to help you distinguish slang that is potentially objectionable from other slang, and all synonyms are coded for the level of formality (formal, informal, no register) and separated by part of speech. This gives you more information about the potential effects of your word choice on your audience, so you have a much better chance than with a “regular” thesaurus of picking the right word for your particular context the first time. Graphics and brief articles are added to show you slang “under the hood”—the patterns and features that characterize slang usage. With this book, you’ll be able to find out how the screaming meemies got their name, why someone might be offended if you use the apparently inoffensive word crumbs, which words that mean “to kill” also mean “to cause riotous laughter,” and easily distinguish whether someone is an old fart, a son of a bitch, or just a silly ass. Here is a handy reference book for students, word buffs, and professional writers— a title that merits a place in every reference library. Printed throughout in two colors.

Drawn from the Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, with the emphasis on the expressions used or coined before 1914.