Dictionary of American Slang

by Harold Wentworth

Dictionary of American Slang [paperback] Wentworth, Harold,Flexner, Stuart Berg [Feb 01, 1980]

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Language, Dictionaries

766 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

Reviews

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, yeah, well, I do read dictionaries, including this one. I acknowledge freely that I did not read the appendices, but I did read the dictionary. The plot sometimes drags, and character development is thin, but how else are you going to run across expressions like fair dinkum, creep dive, badly plonked, smoudge, or ramstuginous? I ask you.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who really reads a dictionary as a book? I tried because this is so interesting. This is one of those if I find it cheap, I'm going to buy it as it has the best list of all slang. Each entry tells you what year it came into usage, how it was used, and various synonyms that they either became or are associated with. I read the 3rd edition, so it is still evolving.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never managed my goal of reading it cover to cover, but I did flip through most of it--this is a gem of our library collection. It brings joy to my heart. Some of the slang was incorrect even by "old-timey" standards, but everyone who needs a daily read of the development of language over time should read a few pages of this.

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